A man from Chechnya known for his martial arts appeared in court for the second time on Wednesday.
“This is about security scams from local operators in the 15th and 16th districts. It opens up its own world. ” With these words, the prosecutor introduced his opening speech on Wednesday. An old acquaintance of the judiciary sat in the dock: a 38-year-old man described by the public prosecutor as the “head of the Chechens” in Vienna.
“He is a famous martial artist. Witnesses fear him. “Don't be surprised if witnesses take back their statements to the police,” the prosecutor told lay judges. The defendant, who made a name for himself as an MMA (mixed martial arts) fighter, pleaded “not guilty.” Defense attorney Markus Januszke announced that his client would not answer any questions. The defendant said only this: he was a “casual laborer” and had a wife and five children.
“A taxi driver is called a boss”
Januszke responded very well to the lawyer's words: “My client must be the 'leader of the Chechens,' says the lawyer. What does that mean? You say boss on a construction site, you say boss to a taxi driver, you say boss to people who can't say anything to you. He's a demographic group. No boss or higher-ups.” However, his client was the first Chechen to win as an MMA fighter in Vienna. “He was an amateur, then a professional and won a lot. Hence he is known and respected. But there is no security fraud in any form.
However, the 38-year-old has a related criminal record. In late 2018, he was released from a two-and-a-half-year prison sentence for aggravated extortion and organized crime. According to the indictment, he unabatedly resumed his earlier activities by demanding that local operators in Ottagring and Rudolfsheim-Funfass set up illegal gaming machines. No original promise of profit sharing was forthcoming. The 38-year-old allegedly collected all the proceeds.
1300 euros per month
Additionally, according to the indictment, Chechen demanded the hiring of certain bouncers. It is said that if not, he threatened to fight in bars. Furniture is destroyed. To keep things quiet, the 38-year-old reportedly asked for a thousand and then 1,300 euros a month. He allegedly backed up his demands with threatening statements such as “your face will bleed”, “you'll go straight to the hospital” or “I'll beat you senseless”.
The trial was eventually adjourned. Witnesses will be interviewed at the next meeting. It remains to be seen whether they will be arraigned in the regional criminal court.
Another security payment process
Meanwhile, according to the report, a young security fraud gang is awaiting trial. Last September, the group carried out three arson attacks, including a Molotov cocktail, at a shopping mall in Meidling to extort money from a cellphone shop operator.
A detailed charge sheet against the gang (ten defendants aged between 14 and 21) has already been filed. Believed to be a young Chechen leader. He even reportedly made references to the methods of torture (ms/APA) used by the victim.
