This Thursday, January 5, a now-retired broker appeared in court in Vesoul for fraud and identity theft. He was an insurance broker for almost 40 years and worked for various companies before striking out on his own. Today he is accused of taking out new insurance contracts for vulnerable people, charging them administrative fees in the form of checks that he cashed. He is also accused of “misappropriating” the identity of a well-known insurance company when he showed up at the homes of the alleged victims.
18 suspected victims
At the bar, the defendant makes direct use of his right to remain silent, from the start of the hearing. When you list the facts, the list is long: yes, the investigation netted 18 alleged victims, some of whom have since died. The profile of the victims is similar, only older people and most are alone. In the various testimonies, the 63-year-old man is described as determined and, above all, very convincing.
With the accumulation of complaints, various investigations were opened and consolidated throughout the region. The pensioner was suspected of causing victims in three different departments: Haute-Saône, Doubs and Côte-d’Or. Moreover, the insurance broker has already been tried in 2014 by the Besançon court for similar matters, this time with 38 victims, before he was also released.
After investigations, investigators found several client files in his home, some of which had inscriptions such as “him alone”, “him alone every day” or even “him sick”.
In this case, a famous insurance company also sued for identity theft. An accusation denied by the accused, who assures that the company is angry with him and that the latter would be the cause of what he calls “a conspiracy”.
A similar procedure
The alleged victims all describe the same modus operandi: the sex worker contacted them by phone before going to their homes by introducing himself as a broker for a famous insurance company. He suggested that they take out a new, more advantageous insurance contract and demanded checks of 50, 80 or even 100 euros from them to cover administrative costs.
According to testimony, he even left with certain victims’ identity cards before reporting to them. Many relatives of the victims testify to their fragility, some of them were even under guardianship or guardianship.
40 years of insurance experience
The lawyer for one of the victims, Mr.e Anne Lagarrigue recalls the defendant’s experience in the insurance field: “He claims 40 years of experience, it is useful, he knows the operation of the machine well”. The defense attorney, Mr.e Jean-Michel Vernier-Signorini, begins his plea by attacking the procedure as it stands. A defense which will cast doubt on the court and which will encourage it to pronounce the release of the accused, in the absence of elements.