Sentences of up to five years in prison were imposed Monday, January 9 in Bergerac (Dordogne) to fifteen people tried in December for having participated in a commercial fraud network active in ten European countries and in the United States.
Among these fifteen defendants who were notably prosecuted for money laundering and concealment in an organized gang, a man was sentenced to 5 years in prison and 100,000 euros in fine and three others to 4 years in prison and 80,000 euros in fine.
Only one escaped the prison term (8 months suspended sentence).
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The criminal court fell short of the requisitions of the representative of the public prosecutor's office, who had asked for sentences ranging from one to eight years in prison so that the defendants "
know that the scam costs more than what it brings in
".
All were acquitted on the count of participation in a criminal association.
80 victim companies
More than 80 victim companies had been identified during the investigation, the scams and hijackings of the network involving a wide variety of goods (hydroalcoholic gel, biscuits, motor oil, air conditioners, video games, toilet paper, etc.) for damage estimated at more than six million euros.
The case began in September 2019 after a complaint from a Dordogne wine estate which had never received payment for an order of 3,000 bottles.
Thanks to a device for geolocating goods and wiretapping, the investigators had uncovered a scam system “
on order
”.
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According to the indictment, the modus operandi of the network consisted "
in usurping the corporate name of a well-established central purchasing body
" in order to canvass companies, while agreeing "
to a deferred payment by means of false letters of credit
and other falsified documents.
"
At the last moment
", the scammers diverted the delivery address of the goods to warehouses "
serving as a concealment platform
", located in France and the United Kingdom.
To then sell the goods “
in small Parisian grocery stores, in England and in Africa
”, a Turkish concealment and money laundering network, established in Germany, Belgium, the Netherlands and France, then came into action.
The proceeds of resales transited by bank transfer or in cash, via "
screen companies
" or "
mules
" carrying "
up to 250,000 euros
", according to the investigators.
At the helm, in mid-December, the defendants had sought to reduce their participation in the network despite their exchanges on the delivery of goods, their price, and their fears of "
cop raids
".