(Paris) A man who passed himself off as Brigitte Macron’s nephew in order to obtain advantages and privileges from luxury establishments, companies or institutions, was sentenced to one year in prison on Wednesday in Paris. He will serve his sentence under an electronic home surveillance regime.
Now 35 years old, he will also be subject to compulsory medical monitoring.
17 previous convictions
This usurper who had already been the subject of 17 convictions for similar or related facts appeared Tuesday and Wednesday before the Paris Criminal Court, which finally sentenced him to 30 months of imprisonment, 18 of which were accompanied by a reinforced suspension.
“The court has chosen to sanction the seriousness of the facts […] and to take into account your desire to be taken care of and to benefit from long-term follow-up ”, declared the judge.
Through a fake email address, dircab@présidence-france.fr, the man requested advantages, allegedly for the nephew of Ms. Macron: a VIP welcome in a luxury hotel in Morocco, seats for a grand prize Formula 1 in Melbourne, Australia, or a Club 2000 card from Air France.
These requests were signed by the names of Pierre-Olivier Costa, director of Brigitte Macron’s cabinet, and Patrick Strzoda, director of Emmanuel Macron’s cabinet. He will have to pay them one euro in damages.
His accomplice was sentenced to twelve months in prison, nine of which were suspended.
The public prosecutor had required 28 months of imprisonment including 16 of firm prison, against the accused, pointing to a “strong attack on the image of France”.
An argument also mentioned by Mr.e Ennochi, lawyer for MM. Costa and Strzoda. “We present France as a banana republic,” he said.
“Mythomaniac storyteller”
The defendant assured that he had not acted “for the money” or “to do harm”, but for “the status, the prestige, the privileges”.
He had been qualified, in the psychological report, of “pathological liar” and of “mythomaniac fabulator”, without concluding with a proven psychiatric disorder.
At the hearing, Me Zagury, defense lawyer, regretted the absence of an in-depth psychiatric expertise, arguing in particular the need to “question the why”. “The risk of repetition does not depend on acknowledging the facts. It depends on understanding the mechanics of acting out, ”he pleaded.