Fugitive Real Estate Agent Sentenced to 4 Years for €546,000 Fraud Scheme

Absent from his trial, Soufyène Mazouz was sentenced to four years in prison for fraud. He is accused of having misappropriated security deposits during real estate transactions, to the detriment of twenty families for a total amount of 546,000 euros. In addition to the prison sentence, he was also ordered to compensate Nestenn in the amount of 98,635 euros for the financial damage after the termination of the franchise contract and to pay a fine of 10,000 euros for damage to the image. A relief for Jessica, a civil party. "I am relieved, but it’s a shame that Justice did not prohibit Mazouz from leaving the territory," she regrets. "On the day of the pleadings, his lawyer said he was in Morocco where he was recharging, because he was depressed."

Marie and Didier also deplore the absence of the main defendant. This couple from Beaumont paid him 36,990 €. "We have a mixed feeling, because we would have liked him to be there. He was found guilty and he has to pay back, but will we get our money back?" worry the spouses. "This story fell on us and we saw nothing coming. In the end, we were able to buy our house, but others have lost everything. We had difficult nights, but now it’s better." This couple and other plaintiffs "have already benefited from partial compensation from Allianz, Nestenn’s insurance, the real estate agency where Soufyène Mazouz was operating (Nestenn has joined as a civil party, editor’s note)," reports Actu.fr.

Hugo Nauche, the lawyer for about twenty plaintiffs (including Nestenn), says he is satisfied with the criminal judgment. However, he is awaiting the decisions of the civil court. "The civil parties are recognized as victims, I had no doubt about that," says the lawyer. "We have already filed fifteen cases in civil court and there are ten left. We are on the long term, we have to be patient, but I am confident of winning. For this, the criminal judgment will help us. Each victim will recover what they had lost. We will also act against the co-defendants convicted jointly to obtain the reimbursements." The Crédit Agricole is also in his sights.

"The funds from this escrow account should have been paid to the notaries or the buyers and not to Mazouz," the counsel estimates. "The procedure is ongoing, but Crédit Agricole has not yet filed its conclusions on the merits and we are also awaiting those of Allianz. The bank tried to gain time by asking that all the cases be judged together, fortunately the judges refused." The opening of the first civil trials should be effective in June. The others "will stretch until the first half of 2026," it is specified.