Biathlon
Biathlete Simon convicted of credit card fraud
The Julia Simon case has been affecting the French biathlon team since the end of September 2022. At first she denies everything. Now the U-turn and the confession.
The French biathlon world champion Julia Simon was sentenced to a three-month suspended prison sentence and a fine of 15,000 euros in the explosive credit card affair. A few months before the Winter Olympics in Milan, the 29-year-old admitted the allegations of theft and fraud for the first time in the criminal court in Albertville. “I confess to the allegations,” said Simon.
The court found Simon guilty on all charges. The public prosecutor’s office had demanded two months’ imprisonment on probation and a fine of 20,000 euros. She also has to cover the legal costs of her teammate Justine Braisaz-Bouchet and pay a symbolic euro in damages to the French Ski Federation (FFS).
The ten-time world champion was accused of stealing credit cards from Braisaz-Bouchet (29) and another member of the French national team and using them to make purchases online in the summer of 2022.
Simon can’t remember
“I don’t remember committing these acts,” said Simon, failing to provide a detailed explanation. The 2023 overall World Cup winner had previously denied the allegations and argued that she herself had been a victim of identity theft.
The fraud allegations arose internally at the end of September 2022. Braisaz-Bouchet filed a complaint in early summer 2023. As a result, Simon was temporarily excluded from team training in 2023 and was even briefly taken into police custody in October.
Simon at least apologized. There were “no financial motives” for their actions. When asked by the prosecutor why she had photos of Braisaz-Bouchet’s bank cards, Simon replied: “I’m kind of having a blackout.”
The public prosecutor also referred to the “costly, international investigations” because Simon constantly undermined the investigations with new evidence. She was “fully aware” of her actions, which, like her belated confession, raised questions about respect for victims and social order.
Further explanations needed
The French Ski Federation (FFS) demanded a symbolic euro in compensation. It is now important for the association that the athletes get some rest. Braisaz-Bouchet’s lawyer said she couldn’t settle for that. In addition to the admission of guilt, further explanations are necessary.
The association’s independent national disciplinary commission had already dealt with “internal processes in the French biathlon team” in spring 2023. It will now decide on the association’s disciplinary measures “as quickly as possible,” as FFS announced. In the worst case scenario, Simon faces a ban.
dpa
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