Tenerife Court increases prison sentence for document fraudster

The court raised the prison term after annulling the mitigating factor of damage reparation in a fake permit scheme.

Generic image of police emergency lights reflected on asphalt.
IA

Generic image of police emergency lights reflected on asphalt.

The Provincial Court of Santa Cruz de Tenerife has increased the prison sentence from two to two and a half years for an individual convicted of fraud and continuous document forgery.

The judicial ruling, which upholds the appeal filed by the Public Prosecutor's Office, revokes the suspension of the defendant's prison sentence. The court determined that the mitigating factor of damage reparation was not applicable, as the amounts deposited by the defendant were deemed insufficient compared to the total damage caused, estimated at nearly 13,000 euros.
The proven facts indicate that between 2016 and 2019, the main perpetrator deceived at least 16 people by pretending to have contacts at the Provincial Traffic Headquarters and Immigration offices. The scheme involved selling forged driving licenses and residence permits, for which he charged amounts ranging from 300 to 3,600 euros.
To create an appearance of legality, those involved used fake templates and scheduled appointments on official websites, urging victims not to visit the public agencies in person. During searches conducted in homes in Tenerife and Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, authorities seized forged documentation linked to approximately 80 people.