Four Romanian Family Members Sentenced for COVID-19 Aid Fraud
In Lyon, France, four members of a Romanian family have been sentenced to six months of suspended prison terms and €3,000 fines each for fraudulently obtaining COVID-19 aid for themselves and others during the pandemic.
The family, consisting of parents and two children, received €12,000 in aid personally, but their tax accounts were used by numerous individuals in the Lyon region, the Paris region, and northern France to request over €4.4 million in aid. The tax authorities disbursed nearly €600,000 of this amount.
"It should be noted that the average turnover of the companies that applied for these aids was €606, and some had no income," stated the judge.
The COVID-19 solidarity fund provided aid to businesses that had experienced a revenue decline of at least 50%.
"This system was hijacked by tax pirates," lamented the public prosecutor.
The state has demanded that the four suspects jointly reimburse the total amount paid through their personal tax accounts, equaling €583,668.
In addition to the €3,000 received through his sister’s tax account, the son also received seven other transfers of €1,500 each and one transfer of €3,000 from the Lyon metropolitan area, for which he could not provide an explanation.
"Yes, I received this money, but I didn’t know where it came from," the young man attempted to defend himself.
"When you don’t know where money comes from, you don’t rush to withdraw it in cash," the judge countered.
Nearly €15,000 in cash belonging to the son was seized at the parents’ residence, and €9,600 belonging to the daughter was found at her home.
"In this case, we see that the state wanted to make things simple, accessible, and efficient. But that made it even easier for them to plunder the state treasury to finance projects in Romania or elsewhere," lamented the prosecutor, who had requested prison sentences ranging from eight months to two years, one year suspended.
The family’s lawyer pleaded for "educative" sentences other than imprisonment.
"We must remember the COVID-19 period. It generated a lot of fraud, even if that doesn’t excuse their behavior. And no one can profit from their own wrongdoing. In some ways, the state bought social peace with these aids," he argued.
The sums seized during the searches have been confiscated.
The judge clarified that she only ruled on the facts submitted to the court. A separate hearing will be held within the year to determine the reimbursement of the €583,668.
