A 41-year-old woman is facing a potential 30-month prison sentence in the Bruges correctional court for fraud, after duping an elderly couple from De Haan out of tens of thousands of euros with a fictitious inheritance story.
The defendant, known as Aurélie C., is alleged to have worked as a cleaner for the victims. After leaving her position, she reportedly continued to harass the couple, pressuring them consistently to give her money. In June 2023, the couple first handed over some cash. By August 2023, she accompanied them to the bank to withdraw money, and from December 2023 to April 2024, 94 transactions were made to her account.
Prosecutors claim Aurélie C. extracted a total of €63,000. The victims are seeking €75,000 in damages. She convinced them with stories of an impending inheritance and even wrote down promises to repay them, but no repayments were made.
Prosecutor Mike Vanneste highlighted Aurélie C.’s criminal history, noting she is not a first-time offender. In March 2023, she was sentenced by the Bruges court to two years in prison for cyber fraud and drug trafficking. Alongside two accomplices, she exploited the bank cards of two elderly individuals. This sentence was initially suspended by the Ghent Court of Appeal in December 2023 but later reinstated in January 2025 by the Bruges court when she violated her probation terms.
The accused was never questioned regarding this fraud case and failed to appear at her trial on Friday morning. Under these circumstances, the prosecution requested a 30-month prison term. In response to government plans, the prosecutor requested that the mandatory fine be waived.
The judge will deliver a verdict on 6 June.
