The Mthatha Specialised Commercial Crime Court sentenced Sandiso Mgudlwa (34) on Wednesday, 02 June 2021 to charges of vehicle finance fraud.
The sentencing of Mgudlwa follows after his guilty plea on 26 May 2021. It is reported that in July 2018, Mgudlwa met with the victim and introduced himself as a second-hand car dealer who sold repossessed vehicles at a reasonable price. He then showed pictures of the vehicles that according to him, were on the market at the time. The victim fell for the scam and transferred R66 000-00 into Mgudlwa’s bank account.
It is said that after the transfer, Mgudlwa disappeared and never took the victim’s calls resulting in the victim lodging a complaint with the Mthatha Serious Commercial Crime Investigation team. The resultant probe led to Mgudlwa’s arrest on 17 September 2019. He made his first court appearance in the Mthatha Magistrate’s Court on 19 September 2019 where he was released on a warning.
The Mthatha Specialised Commercial Crime Court gave Mgudlwa four years imprisonment of which one year is suspended for five years provided he does not commit the same offense during the suspension period. Mgudlwa will therefore undergo three years of direct imprisonment.
The Mthatha Serious Commercial Crime Investigation team is once more lauded by the Provincial Head Major General Mboiki Obed Ngwenya for their tireless efforts in ensuring that perpetrators are brought to justice.