The Elysée Palace in Paris, April 8, 2026. JULIEN MUGUET FOR LE MONDE
A Paris court on Thursday, April 16, handed a former silverware keeper at France's presidential palace a two-year sentence for stealing hundreds of thousands of euros worth of luxury items between 2023 and 2025. Thomas M. was ordered to wear an electronic tag for a year, with the second year suspended, for stealing exclusive tableware and other items worth nearly €400,000, the court ruled.
He was also fined €10,000 and barred from working in a similar position and from setting foot in an auction house ever again. His partner, Damien G., was also sentenced to two years. He was ordered to wear an electronic tag for eight months, with the remaining 16 months suspended. The couple sold most of the stolen items via a Vinted business account and on Facebook, and said they had pocketed around €15,000 in profit.
A third man, Ghislain M., who bought nearly 80 of the items, was given a one-year suspended prison sentence. The case came to light last year when the Sevres national porcelain manufacturer, which makes many of the valuable plates for the presidential palace, saw some of the items listed on auction sites. Investigations quickly focused on Thomas M., a contract worker in the Elysée's silverware department since 2020 and the only staff member with direct access to the warehouse keys.
