Austrian tycoon Rene Benko sentenced to 2 years in prison for fraud
Austrian businessman Rene Benko, who suffered a major fall from grace after his real estate empire, Signa Holding, went bust, was handed two more years in prison.
Austrian businessman Rene Benko has been sentenced to an additional two years in prison for defrauding €5 million from the private foundation of industrialist Hans Peter Haselsteiner, according to Innsbruck Regional Court. This marks the third criminal conviction for Benko, who previously received a 30-month sentence in September 2026 for harming creditors and a 12-month term in October 2025 for insolvency-related fraud.
The new sentence comes just three weeks after Benko was released on house arrest from a previous conviction. Benko's lawyer intends to consider an appeal in the coming days. Despite his earlier rise as a self-made entrepreneur, Benko's real estate empire, Signa Holding, collapsed in 2023, leaving behind a portfolio worth over $30 billion and causing significant financial distress to European property investors.
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