Fraudster sentenced to 15 years in prison
Willemans defrauded and stole from people nationwide after his release on parole in 2017.
Michael Jacobus Willemans, accused of defrauding and stealing from people nationwide, was sentenced to 15 years imprisonment and declared unfit to possess a firearm at the Boksburg Magistrate’s Court on September 14.
He pleaded guilty and was found guilty of 21 charges, including theft, theft of motor vehicle and fraud, on the same day he was sentenced.
All the counts were taken together for sentencing. Magistrate Shilubana presided and prosecutor Mooiman represented the State.
The fraudster, originally from Brakpan, was on the run for years, but his luck ran out on January 9 when the police arrested him in 9th Road, Rynfield.
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Members of the SAPS Trio Tactic Unit, in collaboration with Anti-Hijacking and Policing SA and CJ Investigators, arrested him after they received a tip-off about his whereabouts at a flat believed to belong to his girlfriend.
Willemans defrauded and stole from people while hiding behind pseudonyms.
The police are investigating other theft and fraud cases against him in Boksburg North, Welkom, the Eastern Cape, KwaZulu-Natal and other areas.
His alleged modus operandi was to target single and elderly women on dating sites. These criminal activities reportedly began four months after he was released on parole for theft in 2017.
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