Suspended sentence for man who misappropriated €90,000

A 45-year-old man from Qormi has been handed a suspended sentence after admitting he misappropriated €90,000 from a woman who trusted him with her bank card.

Stephen Stellini admitted to taking the money between July 2023 and December 2024.

He was charged with misappropriation, aggravated theft, the unlawful appropriation of a non-cash payment instrument and recidivism when he was arraigned in court.

Inspector Kurt Farrugia took the witness stand to explain the circumstances, telling the court that the investigation began after the woman filed a criminal complaint through her lawyer. The woman asked police to investigate after discovering that €90,000 had been withdrawn from her Bank of Valletta account.

She discovered the funds were missing when she later tried to make a payment, but the transaction was declined.

Bank statements subsequently revealed numerous withdrawals from her account.

The court heard how the woman had previously entrusted Stellini with her bank card and had, on one occasion, given him permission to use it.

Stellini later forgot the PIN but accessed her mobile phone after discovering it had been saved there.

The court heard that he subsequently withdrew money from the account through repeated ATM transactions, taking €1,000 a day through two separate €500 withdrawals, one in the morning and another in the evening.

Stellini eventually approached the woman and admitted that he had taken the money, asking her not to report him to the police and promising to pay her back. A private agreement was subsequently drawn up between the two, where Stellini undertook to repay the €90,000 in monthly instalments of €1,200. However, the court heard that Stellini made just three payments before stopping. He repaid a total of €3,600, leaving an outstanding balance of €86,400.

The woman subsequently filed a criminal complaint in April 2025. Stellini was arrested at his Qormi residence on the afternoon of 4 October.

The court heard that Stellini cooperated with investigators and admitted to the allegations. He also pleaded guilty when arraigned.

During submissions on punishment, the prosecution argued that the interests of both Stellini and the victim would be better served by a suspended sentence, since this would allow the woman a better chance of recovering the €86,400 still owed to her.

The court was also told that Stellini had a drug problem.

The possibility of ordering him to repay the money within six months was also discussed, but it was argued that expecting Stellini to obtain €86,400 within such a short period would be unrealistic and could potentially drive him to commit another offence to raise the money.

No realistic repayment plan was presented to the court, which consequently declined to issue an order requiring Stellini to repay the outstanding amount as part of the sentence.

Stellini was found guilty on his own admission and sentenced to two years in prison, suspended for four years. The court also issued a treatment order, placing him under the supervision of a probation officer, and imposed a restraining order in favour of the victim.

Inspector Kurt Farrugia, Inspector Cheyenne Mangion and Attorney General lawyers Claire Sammut and Miguel Taliana prosecuted. Legal aid lawyer Francois Dalli represented Stellini, while lawyer Viktor Bugeja appeared for the parte civile.

Magistrate Antoine Agius Bonnici presided over the case.