Initially expected on April 9, the deliberation on the Serge Lévêque case was returned this Thursday afternoon to the criminal court of Boulogne-sur-Mer. The former broker is condemned to five years in prison, including two and a half years suspended.
Over 80 victims
In early March, Serge Lévêque was tried before the Boulogne-sur-Mer criminal court. Continued among others for organized gang scam, this old 61-year-old insurance broker, was nicknamed “the Madoff Boulonnais” in connection with Bernard Madoff, the American businessman condemned in 2009 for scams which can relate to 65 billion American dollars.
He is suspected of having defrauded between 2001 and 2011 more than 80 people for a total of 9 million euros. About fifty victims brought a civil action. Serge Lévêque’s technique was to convince friends or family members to entrust him with their savings which he placed in a gold mine in Burkina-Faso which could bring in up to 12% per year.
As in many other cases, he paid his first customers with swindled money to new victims. His partner who cashed the checks committed suicide and the fleeing gold miner remains unaccounted for. The prosecutor had requested five years in prison, three of which were suspended during the trial last March.
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