Credits: Chabe01 / Wikimedia Commons — CC BY-SA 4.0.
Christelle Doisy, 50, could easily be the subject of a bestselling novel or a Netflix series. Nicknamed "the praying mantis" — surely for her infinite love of men… and their bank accounts — she faces justice again this week. Her specialty is collecting scams like others collect stamps. Fraud, forgeries, bad checks, and even human trafficking. Nothing seems to stop her. Except, perhaps, a trial.
The story begins like a bad soap opera. Christelle, with a sly smile and an innocent air, enters the courtroom with her arm in a sling. Because yes, in addition to being a professional scammer, Doisy is a great actress. She claims to be amnesiac. Forgetting her misdeeds is a real talent! But unfortunately for her, it’s not perfected yet. The judges, for their part, have not forgotten, especially not her 48 offenses.
It all started a long time ago. Christelle, already married to Frédéric Descours, led a quiet life… or almost. The couple moved constantly, supposedly to escape hitmen (poor guys, they’ve never been so busy). In reality, they moved from apartment to apartment, renting with bounced checks and stealing the furniture. A clever strategy — why buy furniture when you can steal it?
Christelle had another passion: men. Not out of love, of course, but for their wallets. Take Bruno Lheureux, a laborer she met in 2017. After a year of marriage, Bruno returns home one day expecting to find his beloved… but finds only an empty apartment and eviction notices. Surprise! The praying mantis had been there, leaving behind €40,000 in debt. A dramatic exit.
But don’t think Doisy stops there. She has an incredible sense of innovation. She was even accused of human trafficking. That’s right! She allegedly imprisoned a nanny for several months. Just to add a touch of drama to her already busy life.
Frédéric Descours, her ex-partner, is in a delicate position. He proclaims loudly that he was merely a victim of her manipulation. The poor soul did not know his other half was a professional con artist. It was only in 2016, during police custody, that he discovered everything was a lie. He never knew how much he was living in a telenovela.
Then, in 2020, after a short break, Doisy returns to the scam scene. This time she targets a restaurant in the Alpes-Maritimes. After sending fake documents, she steals all the equipment. The owner, neck-deep in debt, later recognizes her on a TV show. Christelle Doisy, one-day celebrity, live on television. A star is born!
But all good things come to an end. In November 2023, Doisy is finally arrested in Greece. She had tried to flee with her two children, once again leaving behind a series of scams. This time she is extradited and must answer for her actions. Seven years in prison — that’s what she gets. A minor setback in her career as a con artist, but knowing Christelle Doisy, she might well find a way to escape. With panache, of course.