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A 62-year-old man, convicted of 71 counts of theft after pleading guilty, has been sentenced to 15 years behind bars in the Pretoria Specialised Commercial Crimes Court.
Stephanus Johannes van Eerden committed these offenses over a period of 13 years, from 2008 to 2021 when he operated different investment schemes and persuaded people to invest in them as though they were legitimate businesses.
NPA Regional Spokesperson, Lumka Mahanjana says in two of his investment schemes, Bitcoin and Med Consult Group, he stole more than R8 million from 36 complainants.
He was arrested and released on bail in October 2017 after one of the complainants opened a case at Brooklyn Police Station.
Thereafter, a number of dockets were opened by complainants all over the country and Van Eerden was re-arrested in January this year.
He has been in custody since then.
