Covid aid fraud: 11 people convicted in Alsace

Eleven people were sentenced on Thursday September 26, most of them to prison terms, by the Colmar criminal court for fraud in state aid to businesses during the Covid-19 epidemic.

These people had unduly received partial unemployment aid while France was placed under confinement in 2020 and 2021. Among them, five business leaders from Alsace and one from the Paris region, whose companies were most often in dormancy or in bankruptcy. simple empty shells. The sentences range from four years and a 30,000 euro fine for the most heavily sentenced, to five months suspended sentence and a 10,000 euro fine for the lightest sentence.

In total, a fine of 155,000 euros was imposed on those convicted, who will also have to pay nearly 548,000 euros in damages to be paid to the Services and Payment Agency, the public body responsible for provide aid to businesses. Real estate and a car were confiscated, as well as the sum of 236,000 euros. The suspects, linked to the Turkish community, were prosecuted for multiple charges, such as aggravated money laundering, organized gang fraud or even misuse of company assets for personal purposes.

A mechanic from Colmar thus unduly received 108,000 euros, while a facade renovation contractor received 180,000 euros in undue aid. The courts issued eight bans on running a business. Three other people prosecuted in this case were acquitted.