27.01.2021 – 13:54
Police headquarters in South Hesse
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Schweinfurt / Darmstadt / Rhine-Main area (ots)
Joint press release from the main customs office in Schweinfurt, the Darmstadt public prosecutor’s office and the South Hesse police headquarters:
Since Wednesday morning, the financial control of illegal employment (FKS) of the customs together with the police headquarters (PP) in South Hesse has been executing four arrest warrants and 59 search warrants of residential and commercial buildings in the Rhine-Main area.
The arrest warrants are directed against the main responsible persons of a construction company as well as against several bogus billers who are charged with withholding and misappropriating wages, fraud against the social security funds, wage tax evasion or aiding in this, sometimes in the double-digit million range.
The investigations coordinated by the financial control of undeclared work at the main customs office in Schweinfurt (Zoll) are carried out on behalf of the Darmstadt public prosecutor. The investigators of the joint investigation commission of customs and police uncover a strongly interwoven chain of fraud, in which a construction company as invoice buyer and various issuers of bogus invoices are entangled.
More than 550 emergency services have been deployed in the Rhine-Main area since the early hours of the morning, including around 500 customs officers from 25 different main customs offices. The investigators received animal support from two successful tracking dogs from customs who, together with their dog handlers, tracked down large amounts of cash.
Numerous forces from the police headquarters in South Hesse, South East Hesse and Lower Franconia as well as the tax investigations in Frankfurt and Wiesbaden were also involved in the large-scale operation.
Three special operations commandos (Central Customs Support Group – ZUZ at the Customs Criminal Police Office, Special Operations Command – PP Frankfurt / M.) Supported the execution of the arrest warrants.
Extensive evidence was secured and arrests carried out on the assets of the accused. Cash in the amount of around 200,000 euros was secured.
Background information: The financial control of illegal work at the main customs office in Schweinfurt examines and determines, among other things, very complex forms of abuse of social benefits and illegal employment such as chain fraud networks. Chain fraud procedures are characterized by the purchase and sale of incorrect accounting documents, such as invoices for services that were actually not provided (so-called dummy or cover invoices) against commission payments. The aim of buying and selling bogus bills is to create a black money cycle while saving applicable social security contributions and taxes. The employees of the invoice buyers are usually covered by social insurance for too low a salary and are additionally rewarded with black money payments. This leads to evasion of wage tax, social security and social security contributions.
Around a quarter of the 616 employees at the main customs office in Schweinfurt work in the area of financial control of undeclared work.
During the corona pandemic, the Financial Control of Undeclared Work of Customs (FKS) performs its statutory duties to combat undeclared work and illegal employment to the extent necessary and in compliance with the relevant federal and state regulations to contain the pandemic. General information on the work of customs in the area of financial control of undeclared work is also available www.zoll.de to disposal.
Note to the media: Please direct inquiries to the press office of the main customs office in Schweinfurt.
Contact person: Press spokeswoman Tanja Manger, telephone number: 09721 / 6464-1030 E-Mail: [email protected]
Please contact:
Police headquarters in South Hesse
Press office
Klappacher Strasse 145
64285 Darmstadt
Bernd Hochstädter
Phone: 06151 / 969-2423 Mobile: 0172/3097857
Fax: 06151/969-2405
E-mail: [email protected]
Original content by: Police Headquarters South Hesse, transmitted by news aktuell
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