Israeli Gal Barak is a nice and funny guy in private. But yet his business is scams and online investment fraud. He was one of the cybercrime organization E&G Bulgaria principals and was sentenced to four years in prison by a court in September 2020. He was the Wolf of Sofia! Remarkably friendly sentencing given the alleged €200 million his victims' losses amounts to. His Israeli lieutenants Tal-Jacki "Jacki" Fitelzon and Kfir Levy, are currently in pre-trial detainment in Germany. The trial against "Jacki" will start on November 22, 2021, in Munich. Others will follow suit. Another update!
We already reported a few weeks ago about the upcoming indictment of Israeli Tal-Jacki Zecharia Fitelzon. The 44-year-old guy was a lieutenant of the cybercrime organization E&G Bulgaria of Gal Barak, the "Wolf of Sofia." The latter was sentenced to four years in prison in Vienna in September 2020. The Central Office Cybercrime Bavaria (ZKB) has filed charges against Fitelzon for defrauding 335 German victims of approximately €8.7 million. Fitelzon must now face a trial in Munich. Further charges surrounding E&G Bulgaria will follow.
Gal Barak was sentenced in the Vienna Cybercrime Trials as one of the masterminds behind the cybercrime organization E&G Bulgaria to four years in prison and millions in restitution payments for investment fraud and money laundering. His Bulgarian wife Marina Barak faces the same charges and is currently on trial. Gal Barak gave false testimony at the trial of his wife and was consequently charged by the prosecution for that. As private prosecutors, the EFRI lawyer and its principal Elfriede Sixt accompany the trials representing the victims' voice!
In his opening statement, the prosecutor claims that Marina Barak, along with her husband Gal Barak, was the key person in the cybercrime organization E&G Bulgaria. For example, she assigned the shifts in the boiler rooms, kept the personnel files, and organized the money laundering. She was also responsible for appointing partly homeless people as directors at the Legal Entities to operate the scam brands. According to the prosecution's findings, Marina Barak continued the scam operations after her husband's arrest.
The judge in the Vienna Cybercrime Trials sentenced Gal Barak, the Israeli principal of the cybercrime organization around E&G Bulgaria to four years imprisonment. Without probation. In addition, €2.5 million were seized and confiscated and are available for restitution payments to Austrian victims. This Austrian indictment was only the first step in the fight of the EU authorities against Barak and his organization. The indictment against his wife Marina Barak has already been served. Further indictments and convictions will follow.
The Vienna Cybercrime Trials against Gal Barak, the alleged Israeli principal of the cybercrime organization around E&G Bulgaria have a political dimension in several respects. Let us start with the light political dimension on Facebook. There we could not promote the last post about the Vienna Cybercrime Trials, because the article mentioned Barak's many political contacts. Therefore, Facebook classified the article as political election advertising and rejected the application. That's the more funny side of this case.
The Vienna Cybercrime Trials against Gal Barak, the alleged Israeli principal of the cybercrime organization around E&G Bulgaria have a political dimension in several respects. Let us start with the light political dimension on Facebook. There we could not promote the last post about the Vienna Cybercrime Trials, because the article mentioned Barak's many political contacts. Therefore, Facebook classified the article as political election advertising and rejected the application. That's the more funny side of this case.
Gal Barak and his partner, German citizen Uwe Lenhoff, were arrested in early 2019 in an international law enforcement action. They are accused by various EU authorities of being part of an international cybercrime organization that has defrauded tens of thousands of retail investors of hundreds of millions via broker scams. The Austrian public prosecutor has now brought the first charge.