Fraudsters spent R100 000 before arrest
30 July 2010, 07:54
By Ntokozo Mfusi
Six members of a Gauteng card fraud syndicate had spent more than R100 000 on shoes, clothing, perfume and other items before being arrested in February after returning from a shopping trip with their car laden with goods.
The men were sentenced in Durban's Commercial Crime Court on Thursday.
Soweto residents Elias Buthelezi, 64, Jollyboy Draghoender, 45, Jabu Majola, 50, Willie Khambule, 44, and Barnabus Thabethe, 54, and Liyanda Mazwi, 59, of Krugersdorp, pleaded guilty to 62 counts of fraud and theft before magistrate Tony de Freitas in February.
Thabethe was sentenced to eight years imprisonment, because he had one previous conviction, while the rest received 15-year terms because they had a string of similar convictions.
Before passing sentence, De Freitas said he was astonished by the men's history of convictions. He said they had had every opportunity to change their ways and turn their backs on crime, but had chosen to continue disregarding the law.
Testifying in aggravation of sentence, Standard Bank fraud and investigations unit manager Mark Momberg said the impact of fraud and counterfeit crimes had cost the bank and its clients more than R500 million from 2006 to May this year.
Momberg said clients experienced losses totalling R26m in 2009, while R10m had been lost so far this year.
Six members of a Gauteng card fraud syndicate had spent more than R100 000 on shoes, clothing, perfume and other items before being arrested in February after returning from a shopping trip with their car laden with goods.
The men were sentenced in Durban's Commercial Crime Court on Thursday.
Soweto residents Elias Buthelezi, 64, Jollyboy Draghoender, 45, Jabu Majola, 50, Willie Khambule, 44, and Barnabus Thabethe, 54, and Liyanda Mazwi, 59, of Krugersdorp, pleaded guilty to 62 counts of fraud and theft before magistrate Tony de Freitas in February.
Thabethe was sentenced to eight years imprisonment, because he had one previous conviction, while the rest received 15-year terms because they had a string of similar convictions.
Before passing sentence, De Freitas said he was astonished by the men's history of convictions. He said they had had every opportunity to change their ways and turn their backs on crime, but had chosen to continue disregarding the law.
Testifying in aggravation of sentence, Standard Bank fraud and investigations unit manager Mark Momberg said the impact of fraud and counterfeit crimes had cost the bank and its clients more than R500 million from 2006 to May this year.
Momberg said clients experienced losses totalling R26m in 2009, while R10m had been lost so far this year.
- This article was originally published on page 4 of The Mercury on July 30, 2010
Durban
