The spokeswoman for the Vienna Regional Court, Christina Salzborn, confirmed corresponding information from the APA on Friday afternoon. The Vienna public prosecutor’s office is investigating the ex-footballer on suspicion of serious commercial fraud.
The judiciary assumed that the reason for his arrest was the risk of absconding, Salzborn said. The ex-kicker, who ended his active career at a lower-class club last year, was sentenced to a suspended prison sentence for fraud last January. However, he then went into hiding and did not comply with the conditions given to him. The Vienna public prosecutor’s office finally issued an arrest warrant, the man was arrested in Germany at the end of July and subsequently extradited to Austria. He is now sitting in a cell in the Vienna-Josefstadt prison.
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Since last year, the former footballer is said to have duped victims in Vienna and Lower Austria, some of whom he knew from his work as a professional athlete, by offering them lucrative investments in cryptocurrencies. The damage caused is likely to be in the higher six-figure euro range. In addition to the investment fraud, the ex-footballer is also said to have borrowed money for the alleged purchase of luxury watches, but did not repay the money. Instead, he is said to have put off his creditors with various excuses. The accused is presumed innocent.
