The Paris Court of Appeal sentenced two men found guilty of orchestrating a Navigo pass fraud this Wednesday to one and a half years in prison, in which Île-de-France Mobilités estimates nearly 30 million euros. his material damage. The Paris Court of Appeal pronounced a “
strong decision, in the presence of misappropriation of social benefits guaranteed by the public service
”, declared the lawyer of Île-de-France Mobilités, Me Albane Lancrenon, at the AFP.
Mohamed El Nakeb, 27, and Mohamed Abdelhamid, 26, both Egyptians, were prosecuted for “
organized gang fraud
”, “
aiding the illegal entry, movement and stay of foreigners in France
” as well as for “
possession of false administrative documents
”. They were sentenced at first instance to 30 months in prison, and appealed.
A well-established system
The alleged acts allegedly began in 2017. For a lump sum of 150 euros, given in cash or in the form of prepaid PCS coupons by their clients, the two men provided false certificates of rights to Social Security so that their clients could benefit, for one year, a 75% solidarity reduction on their transport ticket. This reduction, normally reserved for beneficiaries of supplementary solidarity health insurance, unemployed people receiving specific solidarity allowance and recipients of Active Solidarity Income (RSA) under means conditions, allowed them to access the preferential rate of 18.80 euros per month, instead of the rate at the time set at 75.20 euros. They then proceeded to reload the passes themselves. Advertising was relayed on social networks such as Facebook and WhatsApp. Several telephone lines, opened under false identities, made it possible to contact the authors.
Also read: Navigo pass plagued by more and more scams
The first elements of the investigation had made it possible to demonstrate that the two men had visited on several occasions an inmate from the Fleury-Mérogis penitentiary center (Essonne), himself incarcerated for acts of fraud at Passe Navigo. A computer and a USB key containing several thousand false certificates of Social Security rights were also found at the home of one of the two men.
The court also confirmed the additional sentences handed down against them at first instance, including the posting of the decision for two weeks in major Parisian stations, as well as in two metro stations, Avron and Hoche, frequented by both men in the context of trafficking.