Four deaf men convicted of fraud in Denmark
Callie Frye, Daily Moth Reporter:
Hello. The Daily Moth shared about the Deaf Danish fraud case last year in October 2021. If you haven’t seen or don’t remember the case, then the link is available for your convenience. It has more information about the case. I am only highlighting some points of the case as a refresher. There is a law in Denmark called the Personal Assistance Act that provides government-sponsored interpreters for Deaf individuals who need them at the workplace. This is a court case about four Deaf men who misused funds from the government that is intended for interpreters but allocated for personal purposes. The four Deaf men invoiced 614 different transactions and received a total of 30 million Krones, the equivalent of about 4.7 million USD. The disclosure of the identities of the four Deaf men is prohibited because in Denmark, whoever is accused of wrongdoing is considered innocent until they are convicted.
We said we will keep you posted about this case in October and here is the update. Two weeks ago on March 10 at 4 pm, a verdict was handed down about the four deaf men’s fraud case. The four Deaf men were accused of swindling government money that was intended for interpreters from 2013 to 2017. The defendants have pleaded not guilty throughout the case.
The courtroom was packed and there were approximately 40 people in the stands. The vast majority of them were Deaf and several had to stand up. The four Deaf defendants did not show up in court for the moment that the judge announced the verdict. The attorneys for the four defendants were present to receive the sentences. That meant the two sign language interpreters who showed up to interpret for the defendants went ahead with facilitating communication for deaf people who were in the gallery. The judge announced the verdict that all four were found guilty and read out the length of their prison sentences.
—
[Sponsored Video from Convo: https://www.convorelay.com/download ]
—
[Advertisement from Disaster Distress Helpline] After a disaster, you may be at risk for emotional distress. The Disaster Distress Helpline offers a 24/7 direct videophone option. Dial 1-800-985-5990 or go to disasterdistress.samhsa.gov.]
—
The judge explained that the court believed that it was proved that the four intended to swindle millions of Krones. The judge then moved on to the issue of name bans. The prosecutor wanted their names revealed, arguing that because the Deaf world is small, and with the serious nature of the crime, verdicts, and sentences, there may be people in the country who would become distrustful and make a generalization that Deaf people are scammers. The prosecutor said Deaf people should not have to suffer that. All four defense attorneys protested, wanting to keep the names a secret, but the judge granted the prosecutor’s request and said Deaf and hard of hearing people in Denmark have a special interest in this case. This means that Deaf and hard of hearing people would benefit from the disclosure of the names, so workplaces out there can be aware and avoid the four deaf men while accepting other deaf people’s requests.
Who were the defendants? Anders Witt Gadkjær was sentenced to 1 and a half years in prison, Simon Bak 2 years, Jannick Jakobsen 3 and a half years and Jeppe Winther Vestenaa was given 4 years. The judge added that the defendants should pay the costs of the case.
The judge considered Jeppe Winther Vestenaa and Jannick Jakobsen to be the main perpetrators of the fraud. That means they used up most of the government money. They both were denied the right to manage or oversee a business indefinitely. Three of the four have appealed the verdicts.
News report from Denmark: https://www.dr.dk/ligetil/ligetil-paa-tegnsprog/faengselsstraffe-til-alle-fire-tiltalte-omfattende-bedrageri
Daily Moth Previous Report: www.dailymoth.com/blog/deaf-danish-fraud-case