French mayor sentenced to prison after blackmailing rival with intimate male escort video
“He was the one with his finger on the nuclear button,” prosecutor Audrey Quey told the court
By Aaron Sugg
French mayor Gaël Perdriau has been found guilty of blackmail and sentenced to four years in prison after plotting to release an intimate video of his former deputy with a male sex worker.
Perdriau was convicted of blackmail, criminal conspiracy and misuse of public funds, and was barred from holding public office on Monday (1 December).
The investigation began in 2022, after police looked into claims that Perdriau was involved in a plot to film an “erotic massage” given by an escort to his then deputy, Gilles Artigues, in 2014.
Perdriau allegedly tried to get political support from Artigues in exchange for not releasing the video, as stated per documents obtained by Agence France-Presse.
“Aggravated blackmail, the organisation of an ambush and embezzlement” – Gilles Artigues criminal lawsuit against Gaël Perdriau
Artigues filed a criminal lawsuit against Perdriau and his chief of staff Pierre Gauttieri, who was also involved in the crime, alleging “aggravated blackmail, the organisation of an ambush and embezzlement.”
The 53-year-old and his accomplice were found guilty by a court in the eastern city of Lyon, after eight years of blackmail intended to prevent him from challenging Perdriau in the French political landscape.
Prosecutor Audrey Quey told the court: “He was the one with his finger on the nuclear button,” describing the mayor as the “decision-maker.”
“I was like a puppet” – Artigues on the impacts of blackmail
Artigues, mayor of Saint-Étienne, was known for his opposition to same-sex marriage in 2013, and as a Catholic centrist, it is believed this made the blackmail even more concerning.
Artigues told the court that the blackmail weighed heavily on him, affecting meetings at city hall. “I was like a puppet,” he said.
After the former mayor was found guilty, he said outside the court: “Today, I think I will be able to rebuild my life.” Perdriau was ordered to resign with immediate effect.
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