Account Emptied Earlier

Widow Collects 4,500 Euros After Clan Leader’s Death

This is where the clan leader of the bankrupt extended family is said to have fallen to his death—the government is now providing for his widow and five children.(Bild: Krone KREATIV/Eva Manhart, stock.adobe.com)

For years, a large Romanian family suspected of welfare fraud has allegedly been cashing in. Now one of the clan leaders has fallen to his death during construction work in Vienna. The very same government that he is alleged to have been taking advantage of is now helping his widow and five children with 4,500 euros per month.

According to judicial investigations so far, the suspicious “business model” of the extended family from Lower Austria is always the same: They set up companies, falsely employ family members to accumulate insurance months, collect welfare benefits on the side, and at the same time pay no health insurance premiums or other government taxes.

Bankrupt Man Lives in a Mansion and Empties His Bank Account
In one of the countless bankruptcy proceedings last year, things came to a head. When attorney Manfred Arbacher-Stöger showed up at the newly built villa—which had been purchased despite the official bankruptcy—to get an overview of the situation for the creditors, the company boss and his brother-in-law lost their tempers.

No wonder: The bankrupt man had apparently emptied his account with cash withdrawals totaling just under 250,000 euros. Most recently, the official bank balance stood at only 243 euros and five cents.

Drove Car Toward Lawyer
After initial threats, the close relative of the flamboyant businessman reportedly got into his car, stepped on the gas—and drove straight toward the bankruptcy trustee. It was only when the lawyer, facing this life-threatening situation, reached for his pistol—which he was authorized to carry under a gun permit—that the unruly driver stopped just in front of him.

The Romanian is no stranger to trouble in other respects either. Because he is alleged to have siphoned off or set aside several hundred thousand euros during a bankruptcy proceeding, he had already been sentenced to a suspended prison term. Now the 45-year-old is dead!

As it has now come to light, a tragedy occurred as early as the beginning of October. The man fell from the fifth floor to his death in a workplace accident in Vienna’s third district, Landstraße. 

Debts to Health Insurance Fund—State to Support Widow and Children
He is survived by his wife and five children. Although just one bankrupt company owned by the Romanian clan owes the health insurance fund more than 40,000 euros in arrears, the government is now stepping in to support the surviving family members. The widow’s and orphan’s pensions, as well as compensation payments, amount to approximately 4,500 euros per month for the family of six …