close_game
close_game

Couple married and divorced 12 times in 40 years. Now they are getting sued by the government

ByMuskaan Sharma
Dec 17, 2024 07:16 PM IST

An Austrian couple was found to have committed welfare fraud by marrying and divorcing over 12 times to exploit a loophole.

A couple in Austria ran a welfare scam for over 4 decades by repeatedly marrying and divorcing each other. A German newspaper reported that a 73-year-old woman received over $342,000 in widow's pension payments over the years after the death of her first husband in 1981.

The couple's first divorce occurred in 1988, after about six years of marriage.(Representational)
The couple's first divorce occurred in 1988, after about six years of marriage.(Representational)

But in 1982, she remarried which would have terminated her widow's pension but she received a $28,405 "severance payment" as compensation. The couple used a pension loophole which allowed them to claim compensation after each wedding.

Scam began in 1988

The couple's first divorce occurred in 1988, after about six years of marriage. The cited the strain caused by the husband's frequent absences as the reason behind calling it quits.

After the divorce, her widow's pension was reinstated. But when the couple decided to remarry, she lost access to the pension again. Once more, she received a compensation of $34,000.

This set off a series of divorces and remarriages between the couple who repeated it over 12 times in the past 43 years. Each of their marriages lasted only three years with the woman becoming a bride 13 times.

Every time, the woman regained her widow's pension following her divorce while her lorry driver husband was kept away from home by his job.

Sued by government

The couple recently sued the pension fund after the wife's most recent divorce in May 2022 but pension authorities refused to reinstate her widow's pension, due to the suspicious pattern of their marital history.

"The repeated marriage and subsequent divorce from the same spouse is abusive if the marriage was never truly broken, and the divorces occurred solely to claim a widow's pension," Austria's Supreme Court in Vienna said while dismissing their case.

(Also read: 'Love knows no age limits': Elderly man squats to snap perfect picture for his wife. Watch)

Their relatives and neighbours claimed that the couple never truly separated and maintained a happy marriage while continuing to live together throughout the decades of separations and patch-ups.

After the court's decision, the Styrian State Police Directorate officially launched a fraud investigation.

While the couple claims to have divorced for the 12th time, authorities have refused to acknowledge the separation. For now, they are still legally married with no more divorces in the near future.

rec-icon Recommended Topics
Share this article
Get Latest Updates on Trending News Viral News, Video, Photos and Weather Updates of India and around the world
See More
Get Latest Updates on Trending News Viral News, Video, Photos and Weather Updates of India and around the world
SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON
SHARE
Story Saved
Live Score
Saved Articles
Following
My Reads
Sign out
New Delhi 0C
Thursday, February 20, 2025
Start 14 Days Free Trial Subscribe Now
Follow Us On