Funeral ‘director’ who swindled bereaved is jailed

3 January 2007

BARCELONA — A man was jailed for two years on Wednesday for defrauding the bereaved by pretending to work for a funeral director’s company.

For two years between 2002 and 2004, Manuel Paneque Montoso swindled recently bereaved families while ‘working’ for the funeral directors’ company Serveis Funeraris de Barcelona.

The court convicted Montoso of “obtaining an illicit benefit” and ordered him to pay compensation to three victims who he defrauded.

He mainly swindled elderly people from whom he demanded cash for carrying out burials.

On occasion he even threatened not to bury their loved ones if they did not pay up.

He charged between EUR 128-284 per person, the court heard.

Montoso was exposed by 30 victims who complained to the genuine company which launched its own private investigation.

A private detective agency filmed Montoso trying to defraud intended ‘victims’.

Serveis Funeraris de Barcelona is half run by the city council and a private company.

[Copyright EFE with Expatica]

Subject: Spanish news