Federal Court confirms verdict Ex-police chief pretends to be a police officer - and steals

A former police chief from Richterswil was convicted for his involvement in a gang of fraudsters. He appealed to the Federal Supreme Court, but his appeal was rejected.

In autumn 2020, a group of fraudsters exploited people's trust in the police by posing as officers and entering private homes with fake search warrants.

They then stole jewelry and cash. One of those involved was a former police officer who tried to challenge his conviction before the Federal Supreme Court. This is according to the "Aargauer Zeitung".

A restaurant owner reported that he was woken up by loud noises and saw two men pretending to be police officers outside his door. They were wearing masks, hats and gloves. Another victim said that he was accused of possessing drugs, which made him let the men in. It was only when the perpetrators had disappeared with the valuables that the victims realized the scam.

Ex-policeman was only the driver

In court, the former police officer explained that he had only been the driver and was collecting evidence against a drug dealer. He claimed that, as an Uber driver, he had overheard strange conversations and passed this information on to former colleagues at the Zurich cantonal police.

The accused was previously chief of police in Richterswil. He was sentenced to a conditional prison sentence for embezzling 144,000 francs from parking meters.

The district court had convicted the accused, and the high court also had no doubts about the ex-policeman's involvement. The courts found the evidence overwhelming and the description of the perpetrator matched him remarkably often, the newspaper continues.

The accused lodged an appeal

The accused then lodged an appeal with the Federal Supreme Court. He argued that the lower court had incorrectly established the facts of the case and violated the principle of in dubio pro reo, in case of doubt for the accused. However, the Federal Supreme Court dismissed his appeal and confirmed the conviction of the lower court. However, the witness statements were deemed credible and further evidence, such as items found during a house search, further incriminated him.

Among other things, the investigators found a search report with the Zurich police logo, handcuffs and a police ID card. The defendant claimed that these items had been left in his car by mistake. The analysis of the cell phone data also spoke against him.

In the end, his complaint was rejected.

The editorial team wrote this article with the help of AI.