A major fraud network in the south-east of France has embezzled 2.4 million euros, obtained under short-time working by shell companies.
Three people were arrested, thanks to the work of Tracfin, the financial intelligence unit of Bercy, and the judicial police of Lyon.
The health crisis triggered by the Covid-19 has benefited crooks of all kinds, and in particular those who have defrauded state aid to companies in difficulty.
A vast network of short-time working fraud has been dismantled in the south-east by the judicial police of Lyon.
Damage to the State: 2.4 million euros.
Fortunately, the investigators managed to recover more than half of this sum.
The remaining million euros remains for the moment untraceable.
This network was discovered from a first company, spotted last August by Tracfin, the financial intelligence unit of Bercy.
This company which claimed to employ 49 employees, at 4,000 euros per month and for which it requested partial unemployment aid, except that in fact there was no employee.
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Seven other companies involved
Same procedure for seven other companies discovered by the Division of the fight against financial crime of the judicial police of Lyon directed by Judicaëlle Ruby.
"These sums were disbursed to other companies in France or abroad. These transfers were justified by false contracts or false invoices", explains this manager to Europe 1. "Part of the funds were also disbursed to the accounts staff of leaders who were crooks. "
These crooks were already known for other scams, but who took advantage of loopholes in the economic system to jump into the breach and develop new techniques.
Three of the heads of this network were arrested.