A crypto-currency or diamond scam, causing 28 million euros in damage and a thousand victims: the “Red Card” trial opens Monday in Nancy with, among the duped, Football clubs. This case, for which 22 people are appearing, is taking place at the Lorraine city’s convention center, requisitioned in order to make room for the numerous civil parties. For four weeks, the defendants, aged 28 to 73, – including two on the run – will be tried for scams targeting nearly 1,300 individuals and a dozen professional football clubs.
In total, some 850 people became civil parties. The damage is very significant: 1,300 people were defrauded for a total amount of some 28 million euros, via websites offering investments in diamonds or cryptocurrencies, between 2016 and 2018.
Some victims had invested substantial sums: one of them had paid 400,000 euros, believing they had invested in several lots of diamonds as well as in a “diamond savings plan”. “This trial is a strong signal for us in the fight against international financial scams”writes the Colman law firm, which represents around a hundred victims, in a press release. “It marks a decisive step in making the voices of victims heard” for whom “this trial is the culmination of a long fight. Many have seen their finances disrupted, with some falling into debt or losing large parts of their savings.”continues the law firm.
Consumer defense
Several associations support the victims. “Two major issues” are taking shape for the France Victimes federation: see what will be “the ability of the accused to compensate the victims” and determine “the eligibility of these for guarantee funds”. The scammers opened 199 bank accounts in 19 countries “to collect and transfer funds transferred by victims”according to the Specialized Interregional Jurisdiction (Jirs). During the investigation, 2.8 million euros were seized or blocked. They could be used to compensate victims.
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The issue also resonates with consumer defense associations. “Since 2018, these scams have increased considerably. We are currently managing more than 3,500 cases with losses exceeding 400 million euros”notes in a press release Guy Grandgirard, president of the Consumer Defense Association of France. Around twenty fraudulent sites were created by the criminals, who put individuals in contact with other members of the organization, to support the scams. The diamond scam targeted 898 victims for a total amount of 20.9 million euros, according to the referral order, which AFP has seen.
From Marseille to Israel
Three professional football clubs were also defrauded by individuals based in Marseille and Israel. The latter had opened bank accounts all over Europe as well as telephone lines, before posing as fake players’ agents. They were trying to embezzle footballers’ salaries by claiming that the players had changed their bank details. Sochaux, Angers and Toulouse, who played in Ligue 1 or 2 in 2017-2018, paid a total of around sixty thousand euros. Around ten other clubs were targeted by attempts.
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Among the 25 defendants, the degrees of involvement vary. Five of them are referred both for internet scams and those against football clubs, only one for the clubs. A dozen men and women were dismissed for “criminal association”. They are accused in particular of having served as “gifts” for the opening of companies and accounts through which part of the funds passed, throughout Europe or in Israel.
Others are prosecuted for organized gang fraud, for example after having been hired as “computer specialists” at the organization’s office in Marseille to create websites supporting the offenses, or for having ordered fake diamonds. . Six other defendants in this case accepted a so-called guilty plea procedure (CRPC) before the hearing.
