Three men appeared this Wednesday, June 26, 2024, before the court of Lorient (Morbihan). Three former automotive professionals established in the Lorient region.
They are accused of having sold, during 2020 and 2021, cars stolen in the north of France, French models located in the medium and high range.
The scenario repeated itself according to the same pattern. The professionals contacted individuals who sold their vehicle on an online classifieds site. They were offered an exchange with cars they owned.
Crudely disguised cars
Once in possession of these stolen cars, buyers discovered more or less quickly, during electronic fault repairs, that the cars had been crudely disguised, the serial numbers ground off to be replaced with a new one; manufacturer plates replaced; the marking of the windows scraped and modified. Administrative documents had been falsified in the same way.
The investigators identify the complainants’ interlocutors: mainly two men, a 33-year-old from Lorient and a 29-year-old resident of Rezé (Loire-Atlantique), friends for years, and a 25-year-old from Kervignac. At that time, each was at the head of a company purchasing and reselling vehicles to individuals.
The two youngest assured that at the time, they had just started their activity, that they had not followed any training and did not know much about it, that they had not noticed anything.
As for the thirty-year-old, he said that he bought cars in the North because, according to him, they were cheaper there.
For the rest, they all pleaded negligence or lack of memory of the transactions.
“You were responsible for the origin of the cars”
However, the prosecutor emphasized, you were the professionals, you were responsible for the origin of the cars
. She also highlighted too many
versions given by one or the other.
She requested their sentencing to prison sentences with suspended probation and fines.
The court imposed a sentence of twelve months in prison on the thirty-year-old, suspended for two years.
His childhood friend received six months in prison with a probationary suspension.
The Kervignacois, who according to the prosecutor held a marginal role in the team”,
was inflicted with the same sentence, he alone will have to compensate a victim to the amount of €3,500, the two friends will have to face the payment of more than €134,000 in damages.
