On 1/12, Gaël Perdriau, the 53-year-old mayor of the industrial city of Saint-Etienne, was sentenced to 4 years in prison for extortion, criminal conspiracy, and embezzlement of public funds. The case involved a secretly filmed sex tape showing his former deputy, Gilles Artigues, in an intimate act with a male prostitute.

The verdict found Perdriau to have "gravely violated the public trust" by orchestrating "a deliberate scheme involving manipulation, humiliation, and the fraudulent use of public funds." Perdriau also received a 50,000 EUR fine and a 5-year ban from holding public office.

Prosecutors stated that approximately 50,000 EUR in public funds were withdrawn from the city budget to finance the operation.

Gaël Perdriau leaving court on 1/12. *Telegraph*

The court also sentenced three co-defendants, including the mayor's former chief of staff and another deputy mayor, all of whom admitted their involvement in the entrapment scheme.

According to court records, in 2015, Mayor Perdriau and three co-defendants used city budget funds to pay a male prostitute to meet Deputy Mayor Gilles Artigues, a politician who opposed same-sex marriage, in a Paris hotel room.

Gilles Artigues was unaware he was being filmed while receiving an erotic massage from the male prostitute. Using this intimate clip, Perdriau's group aimed to force the deputy to promise not to run for mayor and to cease influencing local politics.

Deputy mayor testifies to manipulation

Initially, they succeeded. In court, Gilles Artigues testified that after being threatened with the intimate clip, he barely spoke during meetings. "I was like a puppet," he stated, "They put me there, and I just smiled through it." He also revealed he had contemplated suicide multiple times.

In 5/2022, Artigues resigned as deputy mayor, and the case gradually came to light. The situation worsened for the mayor when Artigues released a secret recording from 2017.

Gilles Artigues resigned as deputy mayor due to psychological manipulation. *France Bleu*

In the recording, the mayor's secretary, who was also on trial in the case, told Gilles Artigues, "I have a video of you with a man. Aren't you worried?"

When Artigues threatened to report the matter to prosecutors, the secretary warned, "If you do that, all parents of all students at the same school as your children will receive a copy of the clip. I'm not sure your children can get through this."

The mayor then added, "There are other ways to do it; we are not obligated to distribute it publicly. The clip can be sent to small groups and then spread naturally."

Artigues exclaimed, "This is a terribly staged play." The mayor replied, "Perhaps the beginning was staged, but the entire film lasts one hour and fifteen minutes; how can it be called staged? Once this goes on social media, it's no longer extortion, it's execution."

Mayor Perdriau was accused of masterminding the plot but consistently maintained his innocence, denying involvement in the "dirty scheme." He claimed the recordings contained "out-of-context statements" and announced his intention to appeal the sentence. He did not plead guilty.

The victim welcomed the verdict, stating that he could now "live his life again."

Hai Thu (According to Telegraph, DW, De Standaard)