Latest news with #SeriousCommercialCrimeInvestigation
IOL News
2 days ago
- IOL News
Man sentenced to four years for impersonating attorney and defrauding client
Doctor Sobetha has been sentenced for impersonating an attorney. The Bethal Magistrate's Court in Mpumalanga has sentenced a 32-year-old man to four years in prison for impersonating a lawyer and defrauding a client of R40,000. The sentence, which was handed down on Thursday, includes an option for Doctor Sobetha to pay a fine of R20,000. Provincial spokesperson, Lieutenant-Colonel Magonseni Nkosi, detailed how Sobetha had perpetrated this scam back in 2019, when he attempted to file a bail application on behalf of a client facing murder charges. During the court proceedings at that time, Nkosi noted that the state prosecutor quickly became suspicious of Sobetha's arguments. He was requested to prove before the court that indeed he was a legal practitioner but failed to produce such proof. "The Secunda based Serious Organised Crime Investigation members that were in court attended and an arrest was affected. The matter was referred to the Hawks Secunda based Serious Commercial Crime Investigation for further investigation," said Nkosi. Sobetha was granted bail in 2024, and then went on the run.
IOL News
08-05-2025
- Business
- IOL News
Eastern Cape woman pulls off a R1. 6 million payday scam with 17 sneaky bank accounts
The Hawks in the Eastern Cape have arrested former debtor's clerk was convicted of defrauding her company of over R1.6 million. Image: Hawks A 44-year-old Eastern Cape woman was convicted on Tuesday of defrauding her employer of more than R1.6 million through a scheme involving 17 different bank accounts in her name. Nortier was convicted by the Gqeberha Specialised Commercial Crimes Court on May 7, 2025, on charges of fraud and contravention of the Prevention of Organised Crime Act, No. 121 of 1998. Provincial Hawks spokesperson Warrant Officer Ndiphiwe Mhlakuvana said Nortier's conviction followed her arrest by the Gqeberha-based Serious Commercial Crime Investigation team of the Hawks, in conjunction with the National Prosecuting Authority, in August 2024. Mhlakuvana said between September 2019 and November 2022, Nortier, while employed as the debtor's clerk, orchestrated fraudulent activities that prejudiced the company by exorbitant amounts of cash 'FSPA, based in Newton Park in Gqeberha, trades as a business providing administrative and secretarial support to Sectional Title and Homeowners Association clients,' he said. Mhlakuvana added the company managed 82 housing complexes in the Gqeberha region, with part of its daily functions involving the maintenance of bank accounts and general ledgers for each complex. 'The various bank accounts were managed through a joint trust account,' he said. 'Levies for each of the 82 housing complexes were paid from this account.' According to Mhlakuvana, the fraud was discovered on November 2, 2022, when a complaint was made after a refund of levies to two different owners was paid into the same bank account. 'Probing revealed that Nortier had 17 different bank accounts in her name wherein she diverted monies that were due to the clients, thus prejudicing the company more than R1.6 million, hence she was arrested in August 2024,' he said. Mhlakuvana said Nortier appeared in court on the day of her arrest and was released on R100 bail due to her socio-economic status. 'Nortier made numerous court appearances until her conviction by the Gqeberha Specialised Commercial Crimes Court on May 7, 2025, and the matter was remanded to June 19, 2025, for pre-sentencing,' Mhlakuvana added. Meanwhile, the provincial head of the Hawks, Major General Mboiki Obed Ngwenya, praised the joint investigative team. '(They) secured a conviction and anticipated a deserving sentence against the perpetrator as it would deter criminal activities in the province,' he said. Video Player is loading. Play Video Play Unmute Current Time 0:00 / Duration -:- Loaded : 0% Stream Type LIVE Seek to live, currently behind live LIVE Remaining Time - 0:00 This is a modal window. Beginning of dialog window. Escape will cancel and close the window. Text Color White Black Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Background Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Transparent Window Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Transparent Semi-Transparent Opaque Font Size 50% 75% 100% 125% 150% 175% 200% 300% 400% Text Edge Style None Raised Depressed Uniform Dropshadow Font Family Proportional Sans-Serif Monospace Sans-Serif Proportional Serif Monospace Serif Casual Script Small Caps Reset restore all settings to the default values Done Close Modal Dialog End of dialog window. Advertisement Video Player is loading. Play Video Play Unmute Current Time 0:00 / Duration -:- Loaded : 0% Stream Type LIVE Seek to live, currently behind live LIVE Remaining Time - 0:00 This is a modal window. Beginning of dialog window. Escape will cancel and close the window. Text Color White Black Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Background Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Transparent Window Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Transparent Semi-Transparent Opaque Font Size 50% 75% 100% 125% 150% 175% 200% 300% 400% Text Edge Style None Raised Depressed Uniform Dropshadow Font Family Proportional Sans-Serif Monospace Sans-Serif Proportional Serif Monospace Serif Casual Script Small Caps Reset restore all settings to the default values Done Close Modal Dialog End of dialog window. Next Stay Close ✕ In a separate incident, Syed Khurram Aftab, 24, was found guilty and fined R136,750 by the Gqeberha Magistrate's Court on May 5, 2025, for contravening the Counterfeit Goods Act. Aftab had been served with a summons by the Hawks in April 2025. Mhlakuvana said that on March 18, 2025, Spoor & Fisher Attorneys, a firm specialising in trademark matters and anti-counterfeiting, received a complaint about counterfeit Apple iPhone goods being sold at MOD Tech shop in Walmer, Gqeberha. 'Subsequently, the law firm surveilled the cellular shop to ascertain the ferocity of the crime,' he said. 'According to the reports, a representative from attorneys purchased the items and analysed them, which were proved to be counterfeited,' he added. Mhlakuvana said the lawyers conducted tests on the items, which represented Apple Inc., headquartered in the United States. 'The matter was officially reported to the SCCI of the Hawks for further investigation,' he said. 'On March 28, 2025, the investigating team of the Hawks executed a search and seizure warrant which authorised the investigators to search at the aforementioned shop.'
