A comfortable lifestyle financed by scams. A young 25-year-old mason from Castres who led this luxurious life started work on his clients’ projects but never finished them. He never failed to pocket the deposit paid by the clients and then disappeared. If a client dared to ask him for money or was worried about seeing the work stop, he tried to intimidate him by threatening to destroy his home or even threatened to kill him.
The mason started his scheme in 2022 and the little game lasted until June 2024. More than two years of scamming dozens of people in Haute-Garonne, Muret, Bessières and Plaisance-du-Touch but also in the Basque Country. The damage amounts to more than 200,000 euros. The suppliers were also scammed. He did not pay his debts to them either. With this sum, he treated himself to stays in luxury hotels and beautiful trips.
No less than 26 crimes
The Castres native was summoned to court after several complaints from customers but he never showed up. The police, who were unable to get their hands on him, finally arrested him last weekend. On Monday, he was tried in immediate appearance by the Castres criminal court for forgery, fraud, threats of destruction and death threats, no less than 26 offences. The case was adjourned until 26 September.
This is not the craftsman’s first crime: he has already been convicted of acts of violence with a weapon, and is being prosecuted for two other cases of theft and aggravated theft and will be tried in December for these other cases, reports La Dépêche du Midi. Masons are not the only ones you need to be wary of. Also watch out for fake bank advisors who embezzle your money or fake emails from notaries who steal sums through hackers, or even fake real estate agents.
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