Scammer Impersonates First Lady’s Nephew, Faces Trial for Luxury Hotel Fraud

Thibault L., 35, posed as Brigitte Macron’s nephew, the First Lady’s chief of staff, Pierre-Olivier Costa, to benefit from advantages, including nights in palaces or tickets for the Australian Formula 1 Grand Prix during his travels in 2018, reports Le Parisien. Once, a hotel establishment in Marrakech contacted Pierre-Olivier Costa’s office to confirm that it had received his email, sent from the address dir.cab@presidence-france.fr. A fake email address used by the scammer.

The investigators of the Brigade for the Repression of Delinquent Cunning (BRDA) began to investigate Thibault L. and discovered that he had also usurped the identity of Patrick Strzoda to obtain benefits in a Moroccan palace or from the company Air China. He had not acted alone. Anne-Sophie K. is his accomplice. She would have supported the requests.

"The modus operandi is characterized by a mechanism of mutual referrals between the two defendants, explains Judge Pascal Gastineau in his referral order. The idea is apparently to make a more credible approach by associating several people in different roles: secretary of Mrs. Macron, chief of staff, nephew..."

In late March 2018, the two accomplices had contacted the electric vehicle manufacturer Tesla to inform them of the First Lady’s wish to "integrate a Tesla into the Élysée fleet". They had also tried to obtain an "Emirates 2000" or United Arab Emirates club card, in order to get free airline tickets, to be offered Tom Ford clothes or to privatize the Ritz spa, it is specified. "Many scams have failed and the financial damage remains limited".