Denmark: Woman convicted of welfare fraud gets 6.5 years

COPENHAGEN – The main suspect in a Danish fraud case involving stolen welfare funds was convicted Tuesday and sentenced to 6 1/2 years in prison.

A Copenhagen City Court judge found Britta Nielsen guilty of stealing nearly 117 million kroner ($17 million) from a Danish government welfare agency over 25 years.

Nielsen, 65, confessed to taking some money but had said she couldn’t remember it all.

The fraud took place through non-existent projects. Nielsen had privileged access to the public welfare agency’s computer system and transferred the money to bank accounts she controlled.

She was arrested in Copenhagen in November after voluntarily leaving South Africa, where she lived in luxury before an international warrant led to her extradition.