Seven men will appear before the Paris criminal court starting Monday for a large-scale fraud involving the MaPrimeRénov' energy renovation grant program. The defendants, aged 27 to 46, are suspected of having set up a system to divert more than one million euros in public subsidies.
According to the investigation, they allegedly set up a network based on identity theft and the creation of fake applications to obtain subsidies intended to finance energy audits. Between mid-2022 and early 2023, nearly 2,080 fraudulent applications were reportedly filed, each yielding between 300 and 500 euros, sometimes supplemented by additional support for the work.
A system based on fake energy audits
Salespeople were allegedly tasked with contacting individuals and collecting their personal data to create MaPrimeRénov' accounts on their behalf. Fake audits were then allegedly validated using the environmental label of two companies, which have filed a complaint for identity theft.
The National Housing Agency, which manages the program, is estimated to have suffered losses of €1,13 million. The case is being handled by the European Public Prosecutor's Office, which has jurisdiction when funds co-financed by the European Union are involved. This case is the first of its kind in France to go to trial.
