Death – Obituary – Accident and Crime News : Paris, December 3: A British woman, Laura Joyce, along with her brother and six others, could potentially face jail time for their alleged involvement in a holiday food poisoning scam in France. The scam is said to have cost hotel groups in Majorca, Spain, approximately 9 million euros. Hotel owners have accused Laura Joyce of running an organized gang that targeted three hotel chains in Majorca, using middlemen to encourage holidaymakers to fake illnesses and claim compensation.
Laura Joyce and her brother, Marc Cameron Grimstead, are now facing trial alongside six others. The investigation into the case suggests that the gang duped the targeted hotels of 9.5 million euros between 2016 and 2017. Laura had been warned by officials about the possibility of receiving a higher sentence if she is proven to be the ringleader of the alleged gang.
The Majorca Hoteliers Federation has demanded a six-and-a-half-year sentence for Laura on charges of aggravated fraud and belonging to a criminal gang, if she is found guilty. The federation has also suggested a sentence of three years and nine months for the other six accused individuals on fraud charges. The court may impose even larger sentences if it is proven that the gang defrauded the hotel chains of more than 400,000 euros. Currently, the estimated losses for the hotel chains amount to 1.069 million euros.
According to the court’s ruling, the gang apparently convinced tourists to falsely claim they were ill during their stay at the hotels in order to claim compensation in the UK. The hotel owners have provided a seven-page document to the court outlining the requested sentences for each member of the gang.
If Laura Joyce and her co-accused are found guilty, they could face significant jail time and financial penalties. The trial will determine the fate of these individuals and shed light on the extent of their alleged scam. The case has drawn attention to the issue of fraudulent claims in the tourism industry and the measures that need to be taken to prevent such scams in the future.