Le Figaro Nantes
Flavien Moreau is a regular in the courts.
His criminal record includes 17 convictions for various acts committed between 2005 and 2020. He is best known to the courts for having been the first French jihadist convicted for leaving for Syria.
It was November 13, 2014. At the time, he had been sentenced to seven years in prison for “criminal association with a view to preparing an act of terrorism”.
Since his release in January 2020, his reintegration journey has been tortuous to say the least.
He led him, once again, before the Nantes court on Monday.
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This 36-year-old man was on trial there for “repeat fraud” committed between January 17, 2020 and July 1, 2022. The first took place shortly after his release.
His fault: having used bad checks from merchants including jewelers, antique dealers, gold traders or even to buy train tickets or pay for hotel nights.
In total, the material damage is around 140,000 euros with 112 victims spread over many cities such as Bordeaux, Montpellier, Strasbourg or Le Mans.
The president of the court also referred to a
"real tour of France"
to summarize the multiplication of recourse to
"wooden checks"
.
Debt settlement
Its operation was more or less the same each time: it opened accounts with banks and online banks to obtain bank cards or checkbooks.
These accounts were then quickly closed or left in a debit position.
They kept the checkbooks to make purchases.
Transactions carried out with checks and an identity card in his name.
During the hearing, Flavien Moreau, with sometimes confused explanations, defended himself by explaining to the judge that these fraudulent purchases were not
"for profit"
.
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According to him, he was forced to withdraw from it after his refusal of the integration project by a previous court - speaking at one point of a
"relentlessness"
of justice against him - and the fact that he had to settle a debt estimated at 30,000 euros about which he did not wish to expand and the legality of which he did not confirm.
If he recognized the use of checkbooks - some of which were found at his mother's home - he refuted the notion of fraud which he is accused of.
His lawyer, Me Loïc Cabioch, pleaded in this direction.
Asking the judge to acquit him and to exonerate himself from the
"conviction which blinds the record"
of Flavien Moreau, he notably underlined that part of the checks used had been returned to his client by the courts after a previous judgment, for acts of fraud, of which he emerged innocent.
Another point: the checkbooks used were used many months after the bank accounts were opened, which according to him would call into question the notion of fraudulent manoeuvre.
A “disturbing speech”
In his defence, Flavien Moreau, rather talkative like his final statement written upstream, also mentioned his new reintegration project: doing
“trading”
.
After failed experiences in commerce or the publication of a book about his career, he would now be ready to earn a reasonable living and
“not dwell on the past”
arguing that
“serious things start at 40”
.
Words that left the public prosecutor doubtful.
The latter evoked a
“disturbing speech”
and tinged with
“bad faith”
.
She also insisted on the
"dry loss of money"
for many
"small traders"
as well as the moral damage suffered by them.
She therefore asked for a four-year prison sentence, including three years with a one-year probationary reprieve.
A request that the court only partially followed.
Flavien Moreau was convicted as charged and sentenced to 18 months in prison.
In addition, there is a 24-month reprieve which, in the event of non-compliance, could lead him back to prison for a maximum of 18 months.
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The former jihadist is also subject to
"additional penalties"
as explained by the president of the court: he does not have the right to issue checks and to manage a company for a period of five years.
In addition, on his release from prison, he will have to fix his residence and find a job or follow a training course.
It must also compensate the victims whose material damage has been recognized, which is not the case for the moral damage requested by certain civil parties.
Flavien Moreau, as well as the prosecution, which was not followed in its requisitions, have ten days to appeal the decision pronounced.
