His price ? 11 million euros. It must be said that the Château de Sauvage, nestled deep in the Yvelines, not far from Emancé, is a little gem. Dating from the Second Empire, the imposing residence, built of bricks and millstone on the banks of the Drouette, is surrounded by a 40-hectare English-style park. For a long time there was a wildlife reserve open to visitors who could admire pink flamingos, pelicans, antelopes and even wallabies. Unable to finance the work required to bring it up to standard, the owner of the premises, a German, was forced to close it to the public in June 2016. A few years later, she decided to put the estate up for sale. .
She wants to obtain 10 million euros from the sale of the castle and the land, 500,000 euros from the furniture and 600,000 from the animals. The amount did not frighten the couple who presented themselves at the entrance to the park last spring. The man, an English business manager, and his wife present well. Little by little, they manage to gain confidence in the owner and promise to buy this exceptional property which they intend to renovate. The money has not yet been paid, nothing has been signed but they waste no time and take possession of the premises. The victim is unaware of it but has fallen into the diabolical trap set by a high-flying crook, already known to the courts for around ten similar acts.
Fake concerts by Robbie Williams and Stromae
Michael B, 47, is not his first attempt. In 2006, he rose to fame after posing as a famous music producer to RC Lens. He then proposed, to the company which manages the club’s events, to organize two concerts by Robbie Williams at the Bollaert stadium, of whom he would be close. The British star was, obviously, unaware. A few years later, this sound engineer, originally from the North, was sentenced to a year in prison for, in particular, trying to do the same thing with the Valenciennes club by bamboozling its president. This time, he promised the arrival of Stromae at the Hainaut stadium.
Obviously, he never intended to pay the money to the owner of the Château de Sauvage. For a time, he will justify this late payment by a problem with foreign banks. But time passes, and the victim begins to worry. She goes there. But Mickaël and Céline, his 41-year-old wife, are already no longer there. Before leaving, they damaged most of the rooms of the castle by tearing out the old woodwork and hangings. As for the Louis XV furniture left there, they stole it and convinced several less careful antique dealers to buy the furniture. Their sale would have brought them at least 500,000 euros.
” Like in the movies “
A complaint was filed in August 2023. An investigation was then opened, entrusted to the gendarmes of the Versailles research section and the autonomous territorial brigade of Rambouillet. Very quickly, investigators discovered that this couple used the same ploy with the owner of a mansion in Montfort-l’Amaury, which they occupied between November 2022 and April 2023. The victim, who had discovered the deception, had reinvested the premises and changed the locks. “The elements found in this house allowed us to discover the true identity of these illegal occupants who lived under an alias,” explains to 20 minutes Colonel Denis Hebinger, commander of the Versailles research section.
The soldiers ended up finding their trace in Dolus-d’Oléron, in Charente. Michael and Céline settled into a property worth 1.6 million euros… which they promised to buy. “They are crooks with very impressive skills, it’s like in the movies,” underlines Colonel Hebinger. Both were taken into custody. Presented to the Versailles court on Thursday to be tried in immediate appearance, they requested time to prepare their defense. A new hearing will be held on February 29. In the meantime, they were placed in pre-trial detention to avoid fleeing.