A 31-year-old man from Harstad is sentenced to two and a half years in prison for gross fraud, ID theft and insurance fraud in Trondenes District Court.
The sentence against the man consists of 77 pages and includes 72 criminal offenses.
Among these are 38 about gross fraud, eleven identity thefts and a number of cases of insurance fraud.
Among the victims were both the man’s parents and grandmother. In addition, he had cheated 17 banks and financial institutions and about 20 other companies.
It was a confessional case as the man has put the cards on the table and pleaded guilty on all counts. The money the man spent on gambling on the internet.
The man explained in court that he has been gambling for many years. He is currently admitted to the psychiatric ward in Harstad.
The court emphasized in particular that the man continued his criminal activities even after a verdict in 2015.
He also continued after he was arrested three times by the police in the autumn of 2016. As mitigating circumstances, the court emphasized that the Harstad man has given an unreserved confession that encompasses all counts in the charge. That gave him a penalty reduction of 25 percent.
In addition to the imprisonment, the man has to pay compensation of NOK 2.5 million to the people and companies he has cheated.
Source: NTB scanpix / Norway Today
