He had won more than 3 million euros fraudulently. This Monday, Paul Antony alias “PA7” was sentenced on appeal in Paris to five years’ imprisonment, including one year with a probationary reprieve, for having organized a massive Covid aid fraud via social networks. A reduced sentence compared to the first instance.
This ex-influencer was sentenced on July 6 to seven years in prison and a fine of 80,000 euros by the Paris Criminal Court, in particular for fraud and money laundering in an organized gang. He had appealed.
Banned from running a business for ten years
The young man had admitted having organised, from March 2020, a scam for the solidarity fund for companies affected by the Covid-19 pandemic, by filling in falsified forms on behalf of self-employed or self-employed people recruited through flyers and videos on Snapchat. Many attempts failed but others worked: on the public money paid, he then took a commission.
While the defendant claimed to have received a much lower sum, the court had estimated at first instance that he was linked to nearly 700 fraudulent claims, for 33.8 million euros claimed and 7.5 million actually paid between March 2020 and July 2021. That is, with a commission of around 40%, more than 3 million euros for “PA7”.
The Court of Appeal reduced the ban on running a business that had been imposed on him by the court: it is no longer definitive but limited to ten years. The court upheld the five-year ineligibility sentence.