Nine Charged in Louvre Ticket-Fraud Case, One Held as Seizures Top €1.4 Million

Overview

• Paris prosecutors say nine suspects were placed under formal investigation and one was remanded in custody in a probe into organized ticket fraud linked to the Louvre.
• The alleged network reused entry tickets for multiple tour groups over roughly a decade, with prosecutors citing possible daily admissions of up to 20 groups and a loss exceeding €10 million.
• Investigators report that two Louvre employees and several tour guides are among those implicated, with cash allegedly handed to staff to avoid ticket checks and some activity also suspected at Versailles.
• Authorities seized about €957,000 in cash, €486,000 in bank funds and confiscated vehicles, and say part of the proceeds may have been invested in real estate in France and Dubai.
• Separately, a nighttime water leak damaged an 1819 painted ceiling by Charles Meynier in room 707, prompting temporary closure of rooms 706–708 as firefighters halted the leak and restorers assess repairs.