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Collected welfare benefits, but hid assets on a large scale
A family from Leverkusen lived in a spacious villa for years—while receiving government assistance. Every month, around €5,200 in social benefits flowed into their accounts, even though they had large sums of cash and expensive luxury goods at their disposal.
It's now official: the villa must go. The Federal Court of Justice has had the final say and allowed the authorities to seize the house and auction it off. This brings an end to a years-long legal battle over the question: Can property be confiscated if it was financed with illegal money?
False information, real consequences
At the heart of the case: a family of ten who had been receiving social welfare benefits for many years. However, it turned out that the information provided to the job center was incomplete and, in some cases, deliberately false. Although the family members officially lived in different households, they all lived under one roof: in a villa with 300 square meters of living space on a 1,700 square meter property.
The investigation revealed that between €100,000 and €300,000 was repeatedly deposited into the family's accounts – too much for them to continue to be considered needy. In total, around €462,000 is said to have been wrongfully obtained in this way.
The Düsseldorf Regional Court considered this to be organized fraud. The father of the family was sentenced to six years in prison, while the son received a suspended sentence for money laundering.
Police operation like in the movies—and now comes the bill
The family had already suffered a major blow in 2021: the police arrived with special forces, broke through the iron gate of the property with an armored vehicle, stormed the building, and seized luxury watches and cash worth six figures.
At that time, a tough legal battle began over the question: Can the villa be confiscated? The first decision of the regional court was partially overturned by the Federal Court of Justice and referred back. But now the newly negotiated part has also been concluded—and is legally binding.
The villa will no longer belong to the family. The legal owner, the son, must relinquish the property. The authorities will now clarify how the sale will be organized.
Consequences for providing false information – and a warning!
Anyone who fraudulently obtains social benefits for years by providing false information while having six-figure sums sitting in their bank account is not only committing a criminal offense—they are also squandering any trust in a system that is already under strain. This is not just about a house—it is about setting an example. It is good that the constitutional state is not just standing by and watching this time, but is also taking action. Those who lie will no longer be able to live in luxury.
Source: spiegel.de
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