Santo Domingo. With the approval of the new Criminal Code this week in the National Congress, the Dominican Republic establishes by first time sanctions Specific and severe against them Pyramidal scamsa fraud modality that has affected thousands of citizens in recent years.
Lee: The “pandemia” of scams in RD
According to him Article 253 of the new legal text, any fraudulent operation that simulates being a legitimate business will be considered pyramidal scam, when it actually seeks recruit people in exchange for false promises of financial returnwithout a real business of goods, services or investments that support these payments.
Who commit this crime will face sentences of five to ten years of major prison and fines of a Twenty times the amount scammed.
Before: generic scam, minimum penalties
Until now, pyramid scams were prosecuted as a common scam under him Article 405 of the old Criminal Codewhich established barely 6 months to 2 years in correctional prison and Symbolic fines of RD $ 20 to RD $ 200without making any differentiation between an individual deception and a large -scale fraudulent scheme such as the pyramidal.
This hindered justice could apply sanctions proportional to economic and social damage caused by this type of crime.
Sanction for accomplices and promoters
The new code also penalizes those who collaborate in these frauds as promoters, runners or recruiters. These people will be considered accomplices and sanctioned with sentences of three to five years in minor prisonin addition to fifty to five hundred fines Minimum wages of the public sector.
Collective fraud and illegal financial intermediation
The new legal frame also incorporates other related figures:
- Collective scam: Aimed at those who request money from the public in their own name or an entity for false purposes (such as fictitious collections or investments). It is sanctioned with five to ten years of major prison and Ten to twenty fines Minimum wages.
- Intermediation Unauthorized Financial: Who captures funds from the public without legal authorization will face five to ten years of major prison and fines of five hundred to a thousand minimum wages.
An answer to recent cases
These legal reforms respond, among other reasons, to the impact that cases such as Wilkin García Peguero, aka “butter”either Jairo Gonzálezindicated by handling pyramidal schemes that collapsed leaving hundreds of people without their savings.
With this new Criminal Code, the Dominican State seeks to send a clear message: Financial Fraud, especially those that affect entire communities, They will not be unpunished.
