Ex-Premier League Defender Lucien Aubey Jailed for £120K Fraud
Ex-Premier League Defender Lucien Aubey Jailed for £120K Fraud
Former Premier League footballer Lucien Aubey has been sentenced to two years in prison, with 12 months suspended, after being found guilty of defrauding a friend out of more than £120,000. The ruling was handed down by a court in Toulouse, France.
Aubey, 40, who played three Premier League games for Portsmouth during their 2007-08 FA Cup-winning season under Harry Redknapp, was convicted alongside his co-accused, fashion designer Mohamed Dia. The pair convinced their victim, identified only as Sebastien, 42, to invest in the creation of a record label, falsely promising him returns of £1 million within three years.
Sebastien, a shoe repairer, had received a £170,000 insurance payout following a road accident and invested a significant portion in Aubey’s scheme. However, he never saw his money again.
It later emerged that Aubey had previously been declared bankrupt and was legally barred from setting up a business. After demanding repayment, Sebastien claimed that Aubey threatened to harm his children.
The financial loss took a devastating toll on Sebastien’s life, causing him to lose his job and his marriage to fall apart.
“I lost everything, and my wife wanted to commit suicide. I had to give up work. We split up, and those two just laughed about it,” he told the court.
Aubey, who also played for Toulouse, Rennes, and Reims and earned five caps for Congo, denied wrongdoing, claiming his funds were frozen in Cyprus due to his former club, Olympiakos Nicosia. “This wasn’t fraud – I never robbed anyone,” he argued in court.
However, prosecutors presented phone recordings proving Aubey and Dia’s intent to deceive Sebastien. As a result, the court ordered Aubey to repay €145,000 and barred him from contacting his victim. Meanwhile, Dia received a one-year suspended sentence.
Ex-Premier League Defender Lucien Aubey Jailed for £120K Fraud
