Appeals court upholds Perdriau conviction; associates also sentenced
Appeals court confirms five-year sentence for Perdriau and co-conspirators in blackmail case.
Event / Politics
Gaël Perdriau Blackmail Conviction
Former Saint-Étienne mayor Gaël Perdriau was sentenced to five years in prison (one suspended) by the Lyon Court of Appeal for orchestrating a blackmail scheme against his deputy using hidden-camera intimate video. Three associates were also convicted. His ineligibility ban was increased to ten years.
3 reported locations
Daily activity
3 articles0 articles
2026-09-10 to 2026-11-06 · UTC publication dates
Coverage begins 10 Sept, 09:32 UTC
Follow the documented timeline or explore the related reporting.
What happened
Gilles Artigues, former Saint-Étienne deputy, testifies about blackmail impact
Gilles Artigues, former centrist deputy and first deputy mayor of Saint-Étienne who was the victim of the blackmail scheme, appeared at the appeals court verdict. He stated he had suffered greatly over the years since the 2015 incident and had withdrawn from politics in 2022 following the public revelation of the scandal by Médiapart. He expressed hope that the conviction would serve as a warning to other politicians about the dangers of using such methods to destroy opponents.
Gaël Perdriau returns to prison immediately after appeals court verdict
Following the appeals court verdict on September 10, 2026, Gaël Perdriau was immediately arrested and taken into police custody to begin serving his prison sentence. This followed his previous two-month detention after his initial conviction in December 2025. His lawyer announced an immediate cassation appeal and requested his release pending further proceedings.
Intimate video of Saint-Étienne deputy recorded without consent in January 2015
An intimate video was recorded without the consent of Gilles Artigues, first deputy mayor of Saint-Étienne, in January 2015 in a Paris hotel room. The video was filmed secretly by collaborators of Gaël Perdriau and showed Artigues with a sex worker. The video was later used as leverage for blackmail purposes, though it was not publicly released until 2022 when Médiapart revealed the scandal.
Gaël Perdriau sentenced to five years prison for intimate video blackmail scheme
Gaël Perdriau, 54-year-old former mayor of Saint-Étienne, was sentenced to five years in prison (four years firm) for orchestrating a blackmail scheme against his first deputy Gilles Artigues. The blackmail scheme involved secretly filming Artigues with a sex worker in a Paris hotel in January 2015 and later using the video to threaten him in 2018. Perdriau maintained throughout proceedings that he did not initiate the scheme and claimed he only used the video in a moment of anger without demanding anything in return.
Gilles Rossary-Lenglet sentenced in Saint-Étienne blackmail conspiracy
Gilles Rossary-Lenglet, former partner of Samy Kéfi-Jérôme and designer of the blackmail trap, was sentenced to four years in prison with two years firm on appeal. He received a 40,000 euro fine, a five-year ineligibility ban, and a five-year weapons ban. His sentence was reduced from three years firm in first instance.
Lyon appeals court confirms conviction of former Saint-Étienne mayor Gaël Perdriau
The Lyon appeals court confirmed the conviction of Gaël Perdriau, former mayor of Saint-Étienne, on September 10, 2026. He was found guilty of participating in a criminal conspiracy to exercise public blackmail against his former first deputy Gilles Artigues using an intimate video recorded without consent in January 2015 in a Paris hotel. The court pronounced a sentence of five years imprisonment, with one year suspended, an ineligibility ban of 10 years, a fine of 50,000 euros, and a weapons ban for five years. An immediate arrest warrant was issued.
Gaël Perdriau convicted of public funds embezzlement for blackmail scheme
Gaël Perdriau was convicted of embezzling public funds to finance the blackmail conspiracy. He paid collaborators involved in creating and deploying the intimate video through fictitious municipal subsidies provided to two associations. This embezzlement conviction was included in the overall sentence along with the blackmail charges.
Samy Kéfi-Jérôme convicted in Saint-Étienne blackmail case
Samy Kéfi-Jérôme, former deputy for Education and Youth in Saint-Étienne, was convicted in the appeals court. He was found guilty of recruiting the sex worker, filming the intimate video, and participating in the blackmail of Gilles Artigues. He was sentenced to four years in prison with three years firm, along with a 40,000 euro fine, a five-year ineligibility ban, and a weapons ban.
Pierre Gauttieri did not appeal initial sentence
Pierre Gauttieri, the former cabinet director of Perdriau, did not appeal his first instance conviction and remained sentenced to four years in prison with two years suspended.
Perdriau resigned as mayor and metropolitan president
Gaël Perdriau resigned from his positions as mayor of Saint-Étienne and president of the metropolitan area following the initial court verdict in December 2025.
Gaël Perdriau condemned to five years prison in sextape blackmail case
Gaël Perdriau, former mayor of Saint-Étienne, was sentenced on September 10, 2026 by the Lyon Court of Appeal to five years in prison, with one year suspended, for blackmailing his first deputy and political rival Gilles Artigues using an intimate video. The sentence includes a remand order and is the same as the first instance verdict, except the ineligibility period was increased from five to ten years.
Perdriau completed nine weeks detention before release in March 2025
Gaël Perdriau served nine weeks in detention following initial sentencing, after which he was granted early release in early March 2025 pending the appeal trial.
Samy Kefi-Jérôme and Gilles Rossary-Lenglet also sentenced
Co-conspirators Samy Kefi-Jérôme (former education deputy) and Gilles Rossary-Lenglet (former communicant) were also sentenced by the Court of Appeal. Both received four years prison with two years suspended for Kefi-Jérôme and five years with three years suspended for Rossary-Lenglet. Both were handed ten-year ineligibility bans.
Hidden cameras recorded Artigues with escort in hotel setup
In late 2014, Gilles Artigues was lured to a Paris hotel room where Samy Kefi-Jérôme arranged for an escort to be present. Hidden cameras were placed in the room to record sexual contact between Artigues and the escort. The footage was edited by Gilles Rossary-Lenglet and subsequently used for years to blackmail Artigues.
Mediapart exposed sextape blackmail scheme in August 2022
The investigative outlet Mediapart revealed the blackmail scheme involving former Saint-Étienne mayor Gaël Perdriau and his deputy Gilles Artigues in August 2022, ending years of extortion and leading to legal proceedings.
Perdriau orchestrated blackmail scheme against deputy Artigues
Former mayor Gaël Perdriau orchestrated a blackmail scheme against his first deputy Gilles Artigues spanning years. Using intimate video evidence filmed without consent, Perdriau sought to suppress Artigues' political ambitions. Three associates assisted: Pierre Gauttieri (former cabinet director), Samy Kefi-Jérôme (former education deputy), and Gilles Rossary-Lenglet (former associate of Kefi-Jérôme), who executed the scheme at Perdriau's direction.
Read the coverage
2 alternative perspectives
Perdriau Released After Nine Weeks Detention, Resigns Posts
Convicted blackmailer Perdriau released from detention and resigned as mayor and metropolitan president.
Perdriau Sentenced to Five Years Prison in Blackmail Scheme
Perdriau sentenced to five years prison for orchestrating political blackmail scheme using compromising footage.