The Supreme Court has handed down a 31-year prison sentence and a fine of 350,000 euros to seven individuals accused of exploiting homeless people in Tenerife to request financing, using forged documentation in the victims’ names, in order to purchase appliances for later resale.
This scheme operated between 2014 and 2017, and the Supreme Court’s ruling upheld the penalties imposed by the Provincial Court of Santa Cruz de Tenerife in 2022 and by the High Court of Justice of the Canary Islands (TSJC) in 2023 for continuous crimes of fraud, Social Security fraud, and participating in a criminal group.
Police action dismantled an organization that exploited individuals without resources, some of whom were in the municipal shelter of the Tenerife capital, providing them with forged documentation
for financing the purchase of technological devices and appliances, which were then sold at a much lower price in the second-hand market to ensure quick sales, without settling the original debt.
To achieve this, they renewed the homeless individuals’ National Identity Document (DNI) if it was expired or lost, accompanied them to open a bank account for direct deposits, and provided them with falsified payslips.
In some cases, they provided clothes or money for haircuts, to ensure they had a better appearance when visiting various financial establishments.
The accused, taking turns, visited different shops and banks, with some going inside while others waited outside in the car.
A total of 47 operations of this kind were recorded from late 2014 to early 2017, involving 17 individuals without resources who were paid a maximum of 300 euros but never managed to repay the committed amount, as they lacked the financial means to do so.
An investigation by the National Police led to the identification of the integrants of this criminal organisation dedicated to systematically committing these types of frauds.
Several of them had previously been involved in similar activities, and once their homes were searched, numerous appliances were found, and their bank accounts were frozen.
