Francisco José González de Martos, better known as Paco Sanz, 46 years old, is a native of Valencia, Spain.
It took advantage of thousands of people for seven years. What’s more, its infamous safe place reached 264,780 euros (approximately 1,142 million Colombian pesos) in donations in order to ‘help’ to fight an alleged illness.
According to the Spanish newspaper ‘Nius’, in 2009 he was diagnosed with Cowde’s syndrome, a disease of genetic origin classified as ‘rare’. this suffering it is characterized by the appearance of a series of benign tumors, although without imminent life risk.
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From that moment, Sanz began his criminal activity. According to the media quote, he devised a plan in which not only ordinary people but also personalities were victims, such as the ‘youtuber’ AuronPlay and Santi Rodríguez, a renowned Spanish actor and comedian.
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Sanz used his sickly appearance to complement his deception.
He began by asking for a collection with the premise: “I’m desperate to save my life and the only experimental option is in the US. I need your help.” He used the same phrase on www.ayudapacosanz.com, his website.
This website no longer exists, but at the time, photos and information with bank details could be found to send them monetary aid.
His mother, father and ex-partner were also linked in the plot of the scam.
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the scam
After being diagnosed with Cowden syndrome, in 2012 he was granted an absolute inability to work given that he was a carrier of a common disease.
Sanz began to have a pension equivalent to about 746 euros a year (about 3,217,000 Colombian pesos).
The scammer officially registered, in early 2012, the ‘Paco Sanz Association for Cowden Syndrome Research, Spain’. He was appointed president and, in his statutes, stated that he was non-profit, as supposedly his sole purpose was to help those affected by the disease.
That’s why he opened a bank account for this new entity.
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Many times with the loneliness of a coffee and your thoughts can not change your life, I still have a lot of war to give, although some bother you pic.twitter.com/s106WovNS4
– Paco Sanz (@paco_sanz) March 7, 2017
(You can see Sanz’s post on Twitter here).
As for how to develop an almost perfect lie for seven years, there were several situations in which his behavior was like that of a true patient. A real sufferer. A martyr.
The aids through the web platform were made with sending text messages in which it was necessary to write ‘Paco’, thus, dry, and send this to a telephone number.
The message cost 1.45 euros (6,200 pesos).
On the other hand, as reported by the Spanish newspaper ‘El País’, Miguel Hervás Abad, a writer who published the book Paco Sanz, a life of dreams, a life of struggle, was also swindled. with the prologue and epilogue written by youtuber Auronplay and former professional sportsman Pedro García Aguado, respectively.
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The book, written by the victims of the scam, recounts Sanz’s life and the alleged pains and dramas he had suffered as a result of the alleged terminal illness he suffered.
Sales of the book amounted to 2,184 euros (approximately 8,600,000 pesos). 364 copies were sold.
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court case
Sans was captured on March 8, 2017 along with his parents for fraud, misappropriation and money laundering.
‘Nius’ explained that, two weeks later, a court in Madrid ordered his release without bail. although the individual should go to testify every 15 days during the course of the investigation.
It was then that it was discovered that Sanz had traveled to the United States eleven times, of which in only one of them a medical test was performed. A free trial.
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According to ‘El País’, these trips cost between 6,000 and 8,000 euros (25 million and 34 million pesos approximately) for travel and, due to his low pension, he had to ask for help.
“I received between 8,000 and 10,000 euros from family and friends, but I don’t know how much money I received from third parties,” recognize in due course.
He also received 500 euros (about 2 million pesos) for the book that was published about his illness.
Lucía Carmona, his ex-partner, also testified at his trial. The young woman claims that she met him when she was 17, in 2014, and that she never had anything to do with her criminal activity.
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Even Sanz himself declared Carmona innocent.
Meanwhile, the newspaper ‘El País’ said that it was possible to negotiate and reach an agreement on Sanz’s sentence. The prosecution changed his sentence from six years to two years in prison, plus a fine of 2,600 euros (about 11 million pesos).
The sentence for Lucía Carmona, Sanz’s then-girlfriend, will be one year and nine months instead of three years for pleading guilty. as it was an agreement between the lawyer and the Prosecution.
Finally, on February 8, 9, 10 and 15, he will sit on the bench of the defendants of the Court of Madrid to be held accountable for their scams. The personalities who once believed him are mentioned in the hearings.
According to ‘El País’, the statements as witnesses will be made by renowned personalities such as former water polo player Pedro García Aguado (known for the television program ‘Hermano mayor’); the comedian Santi Rodríguez; the writer Alejandro Ruiz Hurtado, author of the book ‘Thus fell Paco Sanz’; the actor Ignacio Guerrers and the photographer Roberto Pere Roca.
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