Two women and a man were found guilty of exploiting tens of vulnerable people in Comrat and Basarabeasca, including elderly, by convincing them to take out a total 80,000 lei worth of small loans to the fraudsters’ benefit.
The Prosecutor General’s Office said in a press release that the borrowers were being convinced that in this way they were investing money into a business, which didn’t exist in reality.
In another case, the suspects kidnapped a woman by forcing her into a car. They took away her identity papers and held her captive for a week, during which time they were busy taking out a loan in her name.
The three suspects were found guilty of 17 counts of fraud, kidnapping and illegal deprivation of freedom, which occurred in June-July 2018.
The women got real prison terms of 12½ years and 10½ years, and the man got a suspended sentence.