Jimi Blue Ochsenknecht faces retrial in Austria after court overturns diversion over unpaid hotel bill
An Austrian appeals court has ordered a retrial for actor Jimi Blue Ochsenknecht, ruling that a previous settlement over a nearly €14,000 hotel bill did not reflect sufficient acceptance of responsibility.
The hotel stay and arrest
Jimi Blue Ochsenknecht, the 34-year-old German actor and reality TV star, is accused of serious fraud after staying at a four-star hotel in Kirchberg, Tyrol, in late 2021 to celebrate his 30th birthday. The bill of nearly €14,000 went unpaid for years. Ochsenknecht was arrested in Hamburg in 2025 and extradited to Austria, where he was held in custody before being released on €15,000 bail. He was barred from leaving the country while the case was pending.
- Ochsenknecht stays at a hotel in Kirchberg, Tyrol, for his 30th birthday; bill of nearly €14,000 goes unpaid.
- Arrested in Hamburg, extradited to Austria, held in custody, then released on €15,000 bail.
- Landesgericht Innsbruck closes the case via diversion; Ochsenknecht pays €18,000.
- Oberlandesgericht Innsbruck upholds prosecution appeal and orders a retrial.
Diversion and appeal
In August 2025, the Landesgericht Innsbruck ended the criminal proceedings through a diversion, a form of settlement under Austrian law that allows a case to be closed without a conviction if the accused pays a fine and accepts responsibility. Ochsenknecht paid €18,000 as agreed. However, the public prosecutor's office appealed, arguing that the requirements for a diversion had not been met.
Court orders retrial
The Oberlandesgericht Innsbruck has now sided with the prosecution. In a statement, the court said that "the responsibility taken by the accused and the compensation paid are not sufficient to infer an acceptance of responsibility borne by an awareness of wrongdoing." Because such awareness is a prerequisite for closing a case via diversion, the proceedings must continue at the Landesgericht Innsbruck. No appeal is possible against this decision.
The responsibility taken by the accused and the compensation paid are not sufficient to infer an acceptance of responsibility borne by an awareness of wrongdoing.
Ochsenknecht's previous Austrian defence lawyer told the German Press Agency that he no longer represents the TV star. A new trial date has not yet been set. Ochsenknecht, who now lives in Dubai, has not made a formal confession, though he did accept responsibility before the court.
