Thirteen defendants appeared Thursday in Auch (Gers) for the theft and concealment between 2014 and 2015 of at least 55,000 bottles from a prized château in the Madiran vineyard, located between the Gers and the Hautes-Pyrénées.
At the material time, whole cartons of bottles were taken from the cellars of the Brumont vineyard by employees, then resold under the cloak at low prices.
An “out of the ordinary” affair
55,041 bottles would thus have disappeared from stocks, i.e. a loss of 1.2 million euros, according to the estimate of the lawyer for the civil party, Me Alain Nonnon.
A case described as "
non-standard
" by the public prosecutor of Auch, Sterenn Hell, in particular because of "
the amount of the damage
" and "
the notoriety of the victim
".
The pot of roses was discovered in 2015 by Alain Brumont, the director of the company.
He had surprised the companion of the main defendant leaving the estate with the trunk of the car full of boxes.
The couple never denied the facts.
The man, now 44, was responsible for the estate's shipping department.
He had explained to the gendarmes that he had stolen "
78,000
" bottles, a number greater than the damage assessed by the estate.
"
It was easy to steal since the room where the boxes were stored was not under video surveillance, and the boxes without real traceability
", he argued in court, explaining that he had acted because he "
needed of money
”.
"
I was caught in the easy money trap
," he pleaded.
The sale of these bottles would have enabled him to acquire a Porsche and a home cinema.
His companion, she, took care of selling the stolen stocks at unbeatable prices, with unscrupulous restaurateurs.
Eight suspected receivers were also prosecuted on Thursday.
The public prosecutor requested three years in prison, two of which were suspended against the former employee and two years in prison, one of which was suspended against his partner.
Judgment is reserved for December 8.
SEE ALSO
- "With global warming, we no longer make the same wine"