A French yacht sales agent has been convicted of customs fraud by the Paris criminal court.
In a case investigated and prosecuted by the European Public Prosecutor’s Office (EPPO) in Paris (France), the French national, who operates a yacht brokerage company in Miami (US), pleaded guilty to the fraud.
The case involved the deliberate undervaluation of the vessel’s customs value.
The sales agent was sentenced to a two-month suspended prison term and a €20 000 fine for aiding in the fraudulent import of a high-speed Cigarette boat from the US into France.
The yacht was imported by a French company based near Bordeaux in July 2019, with the vessel’s true value – US$745,784 (approximately €686 000), concealed through forged documents supplied by the defendant.
The mis-declaration caused an estimated loss to the EU budget of more than €100 000.
Transaction
The defendant, a director of the US-based brokerage company that facilitated the transaction between the US exporter and the French importer, was convicted as an accomplice on June 4 2025.
The defendant has ten days to appeal, otherwise, the decision becomes final.
Other suspects in the investigation will be prosecuted and brought to judgement before the Paris competent criminal court.
The investigation, led by the EPPO, was carried out by the French National Anti-Fraud Office (ONAF).
The EPPO is the independent public prosecution office of the European Union, responsible for investigating, prosecuting, and bringing to judgment crimes against the financial interests of the EU.
