• Sweden edition

Cerebral palsy fraudster gets 3 years in jail

Published: 19 Jul 10 17:05 CET | Double click on a word to get a translation
Online: http://www.thelocal.se/27874/20100719/

A 32-year-old man who was caught playing ping-pong while claiming to be disabled by cerebral palsy has been jailed for three years by a Swedish court.

The man's deception defrauded the Social Insurance Agency (Försäkringskassan) of millions of kronor. He was found out in April after secret police cameras recorded him living an active life, making phone calls and participating in a table tennis tournament, despite claiming to be confined to a wheelchair.

The man was found guilty of aggravated fraud and aggravated subsidy crime by Halmstad district court in southwestern Sweden.

After serving his sentence, the man, an Iraqi citizen, will be deported to his homeland. He must also pay 4.7 million kronor ($640,000) in compensation to the agency, local media reported.

Eight people were involved in the man's deception.

A 54-year-old man, believed to have been the brains behind the fraud, was also sentenced to 21 months in prison for aggravated subsidy crime, accounting fraud and tax evasion.

In addition, the CEO of the personal assistant's company was sentenced to 30 months in prison for aggravated fraud and aggravated subsidy crime. Another five others who were involved may receive suspended sentences for assisting in the aggravated subsidy crime.

The man's lawyer Greger Löfwall told Expressen he assumed his client would appeal.

TT/The Local (news@thelocal.se/08 656 6518)

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17:44 July 19, 2010 by RoyceD
So his crime of receiving money from the government to pay for his rent and food is punished by giving him a place to stay and meals cooked for him and internet access, gyms, education programs for 3 years...... that'll teach him.
21:55 July 19, 2010 by kenny8076
awesome, so you get 3 years for faking an illness AND 3 years for rape and murder in Sweden........ he went from living a great life in the outside world to a good life in a swedish prison world..... you showed him!!! haha you think once he's in iraq your going to see 4.7 million kronors lol?
00:08 July 20, 2010 by double concerto
The absurdity of it all, including the sentence in a holiday camp and an order to pay 4.7million, those fining him know that not a single kroner will be paid. He just simply took advantage of extremely naive people who almost begged him to steal from them.
00:36 July 20, 2010 by StockholmSam
At least he didn't commit murder. He would have gotten a much longer sentence than 3 years had he killed someone. Oh wait a minute...
08:00 July 20, 2010 by Nachos
Makes you wonder exactly how many people are getting away with this? Maybe a couple hundred per 1 they catch?
08:33 July 20, 2010 by Luckystrike
The worst crime in Sweden is screwing with the tax or insurance agencies.....

Sweden should adopt a "One strike and your out" for all foriegners, even from within the EU...

Now im off...to work hard in order to feed and educate this douche bag for the next 3 years...
11:58 July 20, 2010 by Audrian
I think the Iraqi man abused the privilege of living in Sweden. Sending him back is the right thing to do.

The problem with the law is that it is often discriminatory. Financial institutions which defraud the public often go away with it; they may even be bailed out during the time of financial distress! It is the "small man" who suffers from the full weight of the law.
13:27 July 20, 2010 by Swedesmith
I wonder if there is some way to actually infect him with cerebral palsy?
14:56 July 20, 2010 by kenny8076
luckystrike thats too funny lol!!!
10:26 July 21, 2010 by tuerd1982
Because of such bad people, people start to untrust each other.
19:14 July 21, 2010 by odinmp5
if he faked cerebral palsy , may be he wanted to have it.

i say why not sweden gives him what he wants in some way.

i could volunteer. for that.

then afterwards we will send him back home so he can enjoy his cerebral palsy whith his hommies.
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