A 55-year-old nail studio operator in Karlsruhe has been sentenced to a total fine of 12,600 euros after prosecutors said she used black labour. The Finanzkontrolle Schwarzarbeit (FKS) of the Hauptzollamt Karlsruhe investigated the case and the Amtsgericht Karlsruhe issued a fine via a criminal order. The penalty totals 210 daily payments of 60 euros. Investigators established that between June 2020 and December 2023 the operator hired several workers without properly registering them for social insurance and without paying the legally required contributions. According to the findings, the scheme caused more than 22,000 euros in damage to the social insurance providers. The criminal order covered ten cases of withholding and misappropriating wages under section 266a of the German Criminal Code. The criminal order is now final. The operator is not in custody mentioned in the report, as the outcome was a final fine.