According to RTV Noord, a ruling will be made in the massive DigiD fraud case from 2013 on Tuesday.
By Traci White
In 2013, DigiD details for 370 students in Groningen were falsified and used to apply for rent assistance and care allowances. The scam wound up costing the tax services nearly 400,000 euros.
A 58-year-old former tax services employee from Westerlee was involved in the fraud.
The employee accessed personal information in the tax service system and requested new activation codes. His 57-year-old partner would tell a 30-year-old Veendam resident which addresses the new codes would be sent to. The Veendam resident would then intercept the envelopes containing the information from the post boxes, many located inside student flats in Groningen.
Money mules
The money for the requested allowances would be passed on to money mules, including several Romanians who were lured to Groningen by a 53-year-old Groningen resident and his 27-year-old son with the promise of a job. Upon arrival, the Romanians were instructed to open bank accounts and turn over the bank cards and pin codes to the Groningen residents. They received a small amount of compensation and a bus ticket home.
The Public Prosecutor has stated that the 31-year-old son of the former tax services employee was the brains behind the operation. The accused are facing potential sentences ranging from six months to 2 and a half years.
UPDATE: 3:32 p.m., Tuesday, 3 April
The 58-year-old former tax services employee has been sentenced to two and a half years in jail due to his connection to the DigiD fraud, money laundering and taking part in a criminal conspiracy. His 31-year-old son was also sentenced to two years behind bars. The 53-year-old Groniger was sentenced to two years and his son was sentenced to a year and a half. The Veendam resident and the former tax service employee’s partner were both sentence to a year and a half in jail.
