Suspended sentence for Malaga pair who hacked town hall for nursery funds

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The couple posed as a mayor to divert €104,866 of Castilla-la Mancha funds into their own accounts using falsified bank documents

Irene Quirante

Monday, 23 March 2026, 10:59

A court has handed down a suspended prison sentence to a couple from Malaga province after they successfully defrauded the regional government of Castilla-La Mancha out of more than 100,000 euros. The pair managed to divert public funds intended for the creation of new nursery school places in a small town in Cuenca.

The sophisticated scam, which took place in February 2023, involved the couple hacking a town hall email account and posing as the local mayor. By falsifying an electronic signature, they submitted a formal request for a subsidy to the regional ministry of education.

Administrative oversight

Despite the audacity of the move, the fraud went undetected for months. The couple attached a bank document to their application that notably lacked the bank’s official logo, signature, or stamp. Nevertheless, the regional administration processed the request, and a total of €104,866 was transferred to the defendants' account in May 2023.

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Suspended sentence

The Provincial Court convicted the pair of forgery in connection with aggravated fraud. They were sentenced to one and a half years in prison and ordered to pay fines totalling €2,160. Additionally, they are now jointly liable to repay the full €104,866 in compensation to the Castilla-La Mancha education department.

Because the custodial sentence is under two years, the court has granted a five-year suspended sentence. However, the Malaga couple have been warned that this leniency is strictly conditional. Should they commit any further offences or fail to keep up with the repayment of the civil damages, they will be required to serve their time behind bars.

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