The former customer advisor’s modus operandi was quite simple: over a period of three years, the man repeatedly transferred small amounts from customer savings accounts to his own accounts. To ensure that this went unnoticed, he always made balance adjustments for a total of 22 customers.

The motive for the crimes was quickly clarified at the trial before the lay jury under Judge Paul Menardi: “I was massively addicted to gambling,” described the accused, who confessed from the outset.

“Got deeper and deeper into the maelstrom”
He had already started online sports betting in 2016 and “got deeper and deeper into the vortex” and played with ever larger bets. He wanted to use this to compensate for losses and somehow repay the money diverted from bank customers. But the house of cards collapsed and everything came undone. “I ruined everything,” says the 26-year-old, regretting the break in his life. He now works in the social sector: “I want to give something back to society.”

Prison sentence, part of it unconditional
The panel of lay judges imposed a partial prison sentence of 24 months. 16 months were given conditional probation, meaning the young man has to serve eight months. He was also ordered to undergo psychotherapy in order to finally get his gambling addiction under control.

His integrity and confession were seen as mitigating factors, while the long period of the offense and the very high amount of loss were seen as aggravating. Menardi also cited general preventative reasons: “As a bank customer, you should actually be able to trust the bank and the customer advisor.” The judgment is not final.

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