Groß-Gerau (dpa/lhe) – A tax consultant in the district of Groß-Gerau has been arrested on suspicion of subsidy fraud in eleven particularly serious cases. As the police and the Frankfurt Public Prosecutor’s Office announced on Tuesday, the arrest warrant against the 36-year-old was executed on Monday. He is suspected of having submitted applications for corona bridging aid in 2021 and 2022 for eleven entrepreneurs from southern Hesse with forged invoices, bogus invoices or incorrect information on hygiene measures. In total, he is said to have submitted costs of 1.2 million euros with this account. In six cases, bridging aid was paid out in the amount of 600,000 euros.
From November 2021 to the end of May 2022, the suspect’s living and business premises as well as 31 tradespeople were searched. The secured evidence would have led to the urgent suspicion. According to the information, the entrepreneurs are also being investigated. The bridging aid could be applied for during the pandemic in the event of a corona-related decline in sales.