Controversial German Lawyer Gravenreuth Sentenced to Six Months Jail

About ten years ago, a German lawyer, Günter Freiherr von Gravenreuth, devised an ingenious plan to earn money with an innovative method: Posing as teenage Tanja Nolte-Berndel he or one of his employees would contact private advertisers in computer magazines suggesting a software swap. If the advertiser agreed, von Gravenreuth would send him a warning letter complete with a declaration of cease and desist and bill the recipient for his fees and costs. In May 2006 he sent the Tageszeitung in Berlin (taz) a warning letter complete with a declaration of cease and desist and his bill as he had received a confirmation of his taz-newsletter order although he allegedly had not ordered the service. The District Court in Berlin issued an injunction against the taz and set the damages for von Gravenreuth at €663.71, the taz paid the amount on 30 June 2006 to von Gravenreuth's account. Two weeks later, von Gravenreuth impounded the taz’ web domain, claiming to not yet have received the funds. The taz contested the impoundment; undeterred, von Gravenreuth attempted to auction off the domain and was only stopped by a court injunction. The taz filed criminal charges against the lawyer for false representation towards the court. The police searched von Gravenreuth’s office and found a fax from the taz to him whose existence he had up to then denied. He tried to explain his false claim towards the court with the “chaotic conditions” in his office and “lack of legal knowledge” (that’s where I cracked up). The court, however, refused to believe him. Gravenreuth was sentenced to six months in jail without probation, the court took into account that von Gravenreuth had been sentenced to a fine in 2000 for forgery.

Controversial German Lawyer Gravenreuth Sentenced to Six Months Jail toytowngermany.com Fri, Sep 21, 2007