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fromFabian Scheuermann
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The 45-year-old landlord, who is said to have taken advantage of Bulgarians and Romanians in Offenbach, had already been convicted in 2016.
The Offenbach couple, who were arrested on Wednesday for demanding excessive rents from Bulgarians and Romanians and who are said to have put the more than 40 victims under pressure, some with violence, were known to the city. As the public order office announced, one of the houses rented by the couple in Waldstrasse had already come into the focus of the authorities in 2014 because of “disorder”.
Subsequently, the “Working Group Abuse of Services” dealt with the case: a working group in which municipal authorities, tax authorities, police and customs investigators exchange ideas – also to uncover excessive rent. In this way, insights could be gained at the time that gave rise to the initiation of a procedure, according to the city. In 2016, said husband was on trial for rental usury. He got away with a suspended sentence – on the premise that he would end his exploitative business model.
The arrests on Wednesday were preceded by two years of criminal investigation. The example shows that you need a lot of staying power when it comes to rental usury, said the deputy head of the Offenbach regulatory office, Frank Weber, of the FR.
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