Ex-STRATOVARIUS Guitarist TIMO TOLKKI Gets Suspended Prison Sentence For Fraud And Forgery

According to Seiska and Helsingin Sanomat, former STRATOVARIUS guitarist Timo Tolkki has been sentenced in Helsinki District Court to 45 days' suspended imprisonment for fraud and forgery.

The fraud conviction arose when Tolkki wrongfully applied for income support worth more than €3,000 (approximately $3,200) in 2020. Tolkki concealed his income and the funds in his bank account from Kela, the Social Insurance Institution Of Finland. The forgery conviction was based on the fact that Tolkki falsified his bank statements to Kela. Among other things, the guitarist deleted transactions and altered balances on his bank statement to conceal his true income.

Tolkki was ordered to repay to Kela €3,063 in income support. The guitarist will also have to pay a criminal victim surcharge of €80 to the state.

Tolkki failed to appear in court. In a letter to the district court, he argued that he had been living in a "bad time" when the crimes were committed. Tolkki has said that he suffers from bipolar disorder.

Reached by Seiska, Tolkki did not want to comment on the matter.

The judgment is not yet final, according to Seiska.

Tolkki recently reformed the "Dreamspace" lineup of STRATOVARIUS under the moniker TIMO TOLKKI'S STRATO. The musicians — Tolkki (vocals and guitar),Tuomo Lassila (drums) and Antti Ikonen (keyboards) — recorded the classic "Fright Night", "Twilight Time", "Dreamspace" and "Fourth Dimension" albums from STRATOVARIUS.

Tolkki wrote more than 100 songs for the band before leaving the group to embark on a successful solo career back in 2008. He is responsible for writing such power metal anthems like "Black Diamond", "Hunting High And Low", "Speed Of Light", "Paradise", "Forever" and "Destiny". More than four million copies of Tolkki-era STRATOVARIUS albums have been sold.