Couple Sentenced for Fraudulent House Purchase in Germany

A court in Mönchengladbach, Germany, has concluded a fraud case against a couple who occupied a house for over a year without paying the purchase price. The district court sentenced the 58-year-old wife to a ten-month suspended sentence, while her 59-year-old husband received a 22-month prison sentence, noted by the presiding judge due to his multiple prior convictions for similar offenses.

The court found that the couple had agreed to buy the 240-square-meter house in Hückelhoven for €745,000 in early April 2021, despite lacking the necessary funds. The husband negotiated the price, and the wife signed the contract. Two months later, under the pretense of needing to renovate, they obtained the house keys and moved in.

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The appearance convinced not only me, but also my broker. Therefore, we did not investigate further at the time.

Initially, the couple paid only a €100,000 down payment after the original owner sought to reverse the sale. The husband, a trained plumber, claimed in court that he never intended to defraud the seller and blamed his bank for the payment delays. His wife's defense argued she had no knowledge of the payment issues and denied any fraudulent intent.

However, the court did not believe their testimonies. The 39-year-old house seller testified that the accused husband had presented himself as a millionaire, even claiming to own a hotel in Mallorca, which convinced the seller and his real estate agent. The seller stated he was repeatedly promised payment. The couple finally vacated the house only after one and a half years, one day before a forced eviction ordered by the owner was to take place. The husband had only recently been sentenced in June to a 14-month suspended sentence in a similar case by the Geilenkirchen District Court, a verdict he intends to appeal, as he also plans to appeal the current ruling. Neither verdict is legally binding yet.

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We are investigating the incident but currently do not have the opportunity to provide any further details. The case is in its early stages and is very sensitive.