Celebrity victims too

Linz DJ deprived 61 victims of almost 850,000 euros

Some celebrities were also among the 38-year-old's victims.(Bild: Constantin Handl / Krone KREATIV)

The small room in Linz Provincial Court was filled to capacity on Tuesday. The defendant: a DJ from Linz (38) who had persuaded an incredible 61 victims to make investments and thus defrauded them of an impressive 845,000 euros. Many of the victims attended the trial, some of whom are professional footballers.

61 victims, including some prominent names and in some cases large sums of money - one victim lost a staggering 100,000 euros - were defrauded by a DJ from Linz. "If you believe in such returns, you should take yourself by the nose," said defense lawyer Manfred Arthofer at the beginning.

Professional footballers among the victims
The 38-year-old had promised the victims unbelievable returns, many did not want to miss out on the "opportunity" and ended up without the money they had invested. Some of the names appearing as victims at the sentencing will be familiar to some: Professional footballers from Bundesliga clubs are among them.

Often backing the wrong horse
"I've often backed the wrong horse in recent years," said Linz, who had a serious gambling addiction, and apologized to the victims. They were less than convinced and shouted indignantly at him during the breaks. The sentence for the man with two previous convictions was also too light for some: three years unconditional imprisonment, and he must also pay back the private party claims of 845,000. His eleven-month pre-trial detention was taken into account, leaving him with just under 25 months behind bars. The verdict is final.