On 23 November, a verdict was issued in the case. The woman was sentenced to two years’ imprisonment, conditionally suspended for five years. Her partner, meanwhile, was sentenced to two years in prison without suspension. The convicted individuals were also ordered to jointly repair the damage, determined to be nearly PLN 115,000.
As established, the woman had worked since 2011 at the cashier’s office, which had been operating since 2009. Due to her reliability and diligence, she gained the trust of her employers. This changed in 2014, when Dorota M., at the urging of her life partner and co-defendant, 32-year-old Dawid O., began misappropriating money paid by customers. The man—previously convicted of fraud, for which he had already served a prison sentence (he left prison in March 2013)—claimed that he would invest the cash, ensuring the family a comfortable life in the future (the couple have a child together).
The defendant was persuaded and, during 2014, misappropriated money from payments made by 328 people, totaling more than PLN 131,000. She handed the cash over to her co-defendant.
The fraud came to light when customers of the cashier’s office began receiving demands for payment. The woman’s employers then carried out an inspection and uncovered the scale of the fraud. They demanded that the cash be returned. When this proved impossible, they reported the crime. The people who had made the payments recovered their money because the cashier’s office was insured.
Dorota M. admitted to committing the crimes and gave extensive explanations. She faced a sentence of between six months and eight years in prison. She had no prior convictions. Dawid O. was charged with handling stolen property. This offense carried a sentence of between three months and five years in prison. However, because Dawid O. is a repeat offender, he faced a harsher sentence of up to seven years and six months. He also admitted to committing the crime and gave explanations, declaring his willingness to voluntarily submit to punishment. The prosecutor did not agree to this solution, however. Dawid O. is currently serving a prison sentence in another case.
The case was heard by the District Court in Legnica.
Liliana Łukasiewicz, press spokeswoman for the District Prosecutor’s Office in Legnica/ii