A man in his thirties was tried on Friday, October 23, in an expedited hearing for having work started in at least eight people deposits receivedthen abandoned construction sites. Using fake quotes and invoiceshe would have extracted at least 40.000 Euros to his victims between 2025 and 2026.
Work on abandoned swimming pools and terraces with shoddy workmanship, bay windows and roller shutters supposedly ordered but never delivered or installed, all done "under the table," with fraudulent invoices and quotes established to the detriment ofa company of which he is not the representative... Thirteen offences Mr. P. was accused of the following in total: undeclared work, breach of trust, fraud, use of forged documents and employment of a minor for undeclared work.
Far from being a first-timer, the thirty-year-old has already been convicted on several occasions, notably in 2018 and 2019 for fraudAnd then 2022 for check forgeryIn the dock, he strongly disputes the majority of the offences, despite his stated willingness before the presiding judge to “take full responsibility”.
“A rampage” at the construction sites
One of the victims described as a “manipulator” who “finds excuses and knows how to stall so that a complaint isn't filed.” Two plaintiffs use the same word to describe the work: “a devastation.”
To defend himself, he claims that the clients had accepted the suspension of construction work. or that he had Work stopped due to non-payment. He only acknowledges owed money to two of the eight victimsWhen questioned by the court and the prosecution, he never answered clearly, repeating the pronoun “one”, as if to dilute his responsibility.
For the prosecution, a “clear body of evidence” demonstrates his guilt: photos of abandoned construction sites taken by investigators, fake quotes and invoices, exchanges on instant messaging…
In view of the number of victims and offenses, his failure to comply with his previous suspended sentence and the obligations of his judicial supervision, the court sentenced him to 30 months imprisonmentincluding 12 months imprisonment with warrant for committal et 18 months of probationary suspensionHe will also have to compensate the civil parties. The defendant could also soon be implicated in other similar cases, including a Rental scam via a fake Facebook ad. _DR
