The 13e criminal chamber of the Paris judicial court acquitted, Thursday, November 2, the main defendant in a resounding case of partial unemployment fraud during the Covid-19 pandemic.
Dan J., presenting himself as an accountant, was prosecuted for acts of “organized gang fraud, attempted fraud and criminal conspiracy”. He was accused of having participated, in the spring of 2020, in the midst of the epidemic, in a fraud involving the aid system intended for companies in difficulty to avoid layoffs. The scammers had submitted thousands of files on behalf of companies whose identities they had stolen. This case, “the largest partial unemployment fraud committed in France during the Covid crisis”according to the words used by prosecutor Carine Letor during the trial, cost the State 11 million euros.
This substantial amount is explained by the structure of the criminal network, which operates from Israel, and no member of which could be identified during the investigation. The masterminds of the scam connected to the refund request platform through the Tor browser, designed to protect the anonymity of its users. They provided specially created email addresses and ephemeral telephone numbers generated by specialized companies. The money then arrived in bank accounts opened at Ma French Bank, a subsidiary of Banque Postale, before being transferred to “bounce” accounts in Eastern Europe and then converted into cryptocurrencies.
“A courageous decision”
Dan J. was arrested in the company of his wife, while the couple tried to reach Tel Aviv, via Switzerland. The gendarmes from the Toulouse research section and those from the Central Office for Combating Illegal Work had discovered 1.7 million euros in cash carefully packaged in plastic bags.
During the hearing, the prosecutor requested an eight-year prison sentence, highlighting the seriousness of the facts and the proximity of the fraud networks to organized crime. “Organized public finance fraud is part of a global pattern of crimeexplained Carine Letor during the requisitions. In a [autre] file, it was the funds obtained from partial unemployment fraud which were used for the acquisition and international transport of cocaine by container. »
The court ultimately ruled that the evidence collected against Dan J. was not sufficient to prove his participation in the fraud. “We are relievedexplain his lawyers Margaux Durand-Poincloux, Nicolas Benouaiche and Paul Lalanne. The court demonstrated the necessary rigor in a file that did not contain evidence of guilt. It’s a courageous decision. » The Paris prosecutor’s office announces that it has “immediately appealed” of this relaxation.
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