2023-05-16 16:18:34
A violin maker from Neuchâtel was sentenced by the District Court of Lausanne for various fraudulent operations in connection with violins. He received an 18-month prison sentence, but suspended. Most of the charges once morest this sexagenarian, a world figure in violin making, fell on Tuesday during his trial. And in particular the accusations of fraud by trade, because of prescription.
The main facts, admitted by the defendant, date back to 2007. Le Chaux-de-Fonnier had managed to extract large sums from Vaudois investors, including a businessman in which he was a partner, for the acquisition of violins. Real or imaginary instruments for which he promised a profitable resale. The luthier, however, deceived his partners, reselling the violins without their knowledge without paying them back their share. According to the Public Ministry, the overall damage would amount to 3.8 million, including around 2.7 million for the businessman.
Read regarding it: The setbacks of a famous luthier with the Vaud justice system
The cheated investors have long been led by boat thanks to the “edifice of lies and staging” (according to the indictment) mounted by the defendant. It was not until 2016 that the businessman filed a complaint. The lack of collaboration from the Italian justice – the luthier had a workshop in Rome – then dragged out the investigation.
“No more a penny”
The scam by profession is prescribed following 15 years, prosecutor Audrey Rentsch told the court on Tuesday, to explain the abandonment of this charge. The luthier was also released from suspicion of unfair management. On the other hand, he was indeed convicted of breach of trust and forgery in the titles. The Public Prosecutor and the defense concluded an arrangement, validated by the court, to set the sentence at 18 months suspended for three years. The luthier is also required to respect the agreement signed with the businessman, in which he undertakes to continue to reimburse part of the damage.
The luthier’s lawyer, Marc-André Nardin, considered that this agreement was “fair”. He also pointed out that his client had been far from enriching himself with these various cases. On the contrary, following having sold his workshop as well as his collections of instruments and paintings, “he has no more money, he finds himself naked,” he said. As for the main interested party, he said his “regrets” and recognized “a huge mess”. And to add: “I found myself in bigger business than me. I was caught in a whirlwind.”
Back in Neuchâtel lands following his Roman parenthesis, he explained that he had returned to “the fundamentals” of violin making. He continues to repair, build and appraise violins, “but the big business is over”, he assured. This conviction is not the first for the luthier, who has gone before other courts for similar cases. The Economic Court of Bern had notably sentenced him in 2017 to three years in prison, half of which is firm. He has already served that sentence. Regarding the investigation once morest him in Italy, the procedure is still ongoing.
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