Local businessman sentenced for selling SZV doctor cards
~ Public Prosecutor: Nothing but an “ordinary fraudster” ~
PHILIPSBURG – The Court in First Instance sentenced Danny Wigley last week to 15 months of imprisonment, with 10 months suspended, for forgery and for scamming Social and Health Insurances SZV. The 51-year old, who was not present during the court hearing, also has to repay two amounts: $18,850 and 306,208 guilders ($171,065). If the defendant does not pay he has to go to jail for 365 days (for the lower amount) and for 540 days (18 months) for the larger amount.
According to the public prosecutor, Wigley was the go-to man in a scheme designed to defraud SZV and to help people get a health insurance card and – subsequently – a residence permit.
According to the prosecutor, SZV issued 65 insurance cards for 54 individuals based on forged labor contracts Wigley submitted between January 1, 2010, and December 31, 2013. On paper, the applicants worked for a company called Enrmar Consulting Management (ECM) but in reality they worked elsewhere.
Wigley charged $290 per doctor card and demanded 25 percent of his victims’ salary, presumably for the payment of taxes and premiums. One victim told police that he had to pay $463 per month; Wigley threatened to report the man to immigration if he did not pay.
SZV started an investigation into the scheme four years ago, in 2016; after completion of this exercise, on September 9, 2016, SZV reported the matter to the police on October 14. Pending an investigation by the police, SZV fined the company, identified in court documents as Enriquites Martes d.b.a. Enrmar Consulting Management (ECM), 90,000 guilders ($50,279).
Based on information obtained from SZV the police tracked down several victims who said that Wigley was the one who arranged their forged labor contracts and their insurance cards.
In 2019 police questioned Wigley and he confessed that he had served around 45 people who worked elsewhere while he made SZV believe they were in the employ of ECM. The investigation showed that Wigley signed all labor contracts and all SZV application forms; these forms all carried the ECM company stamp.
The investigation turned up 65 SZV-cards issued to ghost ECM-employees. At $290 per card, paid cash to Wigley, this amounted to $18,850. The company should have paid 308,144 guilders ($172,147) in taxes and premiums to SZV; in reality, ECM paid only 1,864 guilders ($1,041).
Wigley pocketed the difference of 306,208 guilders (171,065) to pay salaries to himself and to others, to finance vacations and to pay school fees for his children.
“The defendant is not a smart entrepreneur who saw a loophole in the law or a smart niche in the market,” the public prosecutor said during the uncontested court hearing. “He is a vulgar fraudster who profited handsomely.”
The fraud guideline suggests prison sentences for cases like this one based on the amount of money that is involved. In Wigley’s case, the guide lines allow for an unconditional prison sentence of 9 to 12 months. Against that background, the court’s verdict is relatively mild.
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