Theft and Bounced Checks Rain Down on the Court

A Lady Lawyer Breaks the Law 

How unusual, a female Russian lawyer in the dock. On second thoughts every major profession and every major country have individuals who run afoul of the law. The lady’s brazen shoplifting bonanza in the Principality included an expensive jacket, a dress and a vest. The police had her description and confronted her. Boldly she claimed to have purchased everything but had been careless about keeping the receipts. Detectives discreetly kept an eye on her and saw her purloin a lighter from a store in the centre of Monaco. A “cock and bull” story about being distracted by a telephone call and forgetting to pay was her bold retort. The Court was unconvinced by her raft of inconsistent denials. And on a search of prior offenses – a further theft was discovered. A month-long suspended prison sentence was her reward for her day shoplifting in the Principality. 

Danger of jail for Bouncing Checks 

A German professional chasing major project work in the Principality got behind in his rent by several months. At first he wrote a “rubber check” for thousands of euros for the rent which ended up with the police being alerted when it bounced. Then he fled the coup when the projects he was chasing didn’t materialize. An investigation found he was also delinquent in paying his social charges. The Court concluded he had no intention of honouring his debts and gave him a suspended jail sentence of 8 days in prison, though the prosecution had pleaded for 10 days. 

Keys left in the ignition to the delight of young thieves 

If you leave your keys in the ignition of your motorcycle you are tempting fate, even in Monaco. Not everyone is honest and there are always visitors to the city who might not realize that there are cameras everywhere. So two twenty year olds from the surrounding region pounced at the opportunity to run off with a high-end machine valued over 7.000 euros. One rode it, the other followed on his scooter. Foolish because the security cameras nearby zoned in on his matriculation which revealed his identity. Now it was the turn of the police to pounce and they did soon after the owner reported his motorbike missing. The security cameras gave them what they needed. The young men had tried to sell the motorcycle for 2.500 euros, having cut off the number plate. Both the young men had records of breaking the law. The one who joy-rided on the motorcycle had a thick file of offenses including drugs and violence; the other youth a prior conviction for theft. The prosecution argued for a 10 day suspended sentence for the one accomplice and two months for the principal offender. In the end the Court settled on 15 days each in the hope they would reform and chase honest careers instead of motorcycles! Nevertheless they had to reimburse the owner of the motorcycle with over 7.000 euros to replace it as the bike was never found.