Moroccan Court Sentences 12 to Prison in $500,000 Money Transfer Agency Heist

The sentence was handed down on Tuesday, January 4, by the criminal chamber of the Court of Appeal of Tangier. 12 defendants were sentenced to 15 years in prison each, while 3 others received a one-year sentence.

The 15 accused, who unanimously rejected the charges against them, were prosecuted for criminal conspiracy, aggravated theft, armed assault, receiving stolen goods and failure to report a crime.

The facts date back to May 2019, when the owner of a money transfer agency had been the victim of a major scam by 3 of his employees, to whom he had entrusted the task of depositing the collected funds at his son’s home.

The 3 employees had claimed to have been attacked by unknown individuals in 3 cars, who had then seized the loot and disappeared. By retracing the service vehicle of the employees and checking their cell phones, the judicial police elements discovered revealing messages exchanged between the employees and unknown individuals. It was a scenario entirely fabricated by the protagonists, in order to seize the 4.99 million dirhams in deposit.