Tax man gets rich off of fake taxpayers

BERLIN (Reuters) - A German tax official who stole more than $230,000 from the state by inventing taxpayers and claiming money owed to them has been handed jailed for three years and three months, authorities said on Tuesday.

Between 2003 and 2006, the man embezzled nearly 174,000 euros ($234,200) from tax authorities in the southern city of Wuerzburg by cashing in rebates due from income tax returns he had filed for three imaginary taxpayers.

The man, who had worked at the tax office since 1981, also applied for a subsidy for home buyers on behalf of another fictional person, netting himself a further 16,000 euros.

All the money was transferred to various accounts he had access to, including ones held by his wife and mother-in-law.

An appeals court based in the southwestern city of Karlsruhe found the man guilty of 16 cases of tax fraud and embezzlement, upholding a prior decision by a Wuerzburg court. However, it did absolve him of a previous conviction for computer fraud.