Watch counterfeiting – The main suspects appear in court (Part 2)

It is 1pm when we arrive at the Paris Court, on this Monday in March, to attend the “main” hearing, the one that interests us most, the one in which the principal suspects, Julien V. and Florian R., are due to appear.

These two individuals are presented as the main players in the organised gang alleged to have sold thousands of counterfeit watches on the French market and even internationally. They appear in the dock surrounded by police officers, as both are currently in pre-trial detention.

The hearing, which begins at 2.30pm, does not draw much of a crowd. There are few members of the public. Only 4 journalists are present. They represent national or Swiss titles, but the watchmaking press is unfortunately absent. We also recognise members of the Fédération de l’Industrie Horlogère Suisse (FH), who attend the proceedings simply as members of the public. The federation is not a party to the case (perhaps it cannot be, under its own statutes, Ed.) and has left the brands to face their responsibilities. The lawyers for the civil parties are therefore the most numerous. Two lawyers handle Florian R.’s defence, since Julien V. dismissed his own and decided to defend himself alone.

The hearing opens with a request from Rolex’s counsel, who asks for the brand’s expert, Delphine M., a watchmaker employed by Rolex France, to be heard. The court agrees to hear this person during the trial as a witness rather than as an expert, given that she is linked to a party in the case. For this reason, she is kept apart and may not hear the proceedings until the moment she herself is called.

It is time for the presiding judge to set out the facts in detail and introduce the defendants. According to the elements contained in the various official reports, the trafficking, possession and sale of counterfeit goods is alleged to have run from 1^st November 2019 to 21 June 2022 via online sales channels.

Julien V. is presented as an only child. He holds no qualifications and is said to have left for China at a young age, then Thailand. When the presiding judge asks him to confirm or deny what has been stated, Julien V. replies sharply that he wishes to remain silent. To the question ” What led you to go to China? ” he answers ” I don’t know! “.

He then speaks up to announce: ” I’ll talk to the journalists when I get out, because there are Rolex franchises I’m going to bring down! “. He then addresses the lawyer representing the Rolex brand directly and tells him: ” You can pass it up the chain, because that’s not where I’m going to talk. “. It would seem that Julien V. is seeking to trade his silence, or his testimony, for something in return, which he later confirms in the exchanges.

Then he exclaims: “What the hell am I doing here? I don’t know any of these guys” ( he points to the other defendants, Ed.). And he specifies that he only ever sold a single watch to Florian R., who is appearing alongside him and is also in pre-trial detention.

The presiding judge continues setting out the facts and mentions Julien V.’s departure for China in 2012. To the question ” What is your date of birth? “, Julien V. answers sharply, ” You don’t know it already!? “. The exchanges grow tense, with the presiding judge reminding the defendant that he had the right to remain silent, but that a minimum of decorum was expected of him. Julien V. appears very tense. His face is closed off behind his tinted glasses, his features drawn, tapping his fingers behind his crossed arms. Serenity does not seem to be the order of the day at this start of the hearing…

The presiding judge concludes Julien V.’s personal details by noting that he was born in 1994 in Nice, and that he is the father of 3 children who live in Thailand.

Then it is time to turn to the facts that led to the dismantling of the network. It began with an investigation by the Fédération de l’Industrie Horlogère Suisse (FH), which, having noted that the presumed perpetrator of the trafficking was French and was operating via the internet to flood the French market, filed a report with Cyber Customs. At the same time, it approached the Chinese authorities and obtained a search of one of Julien V.’s Chinese suppliers in April 2021.

In October 2021, the seizure of 6 parcels at the Le Pontet post office (Vaucluse) led to Florian R. and his partner being placed in Customs Detention. In June 2022, investigators and the investigating judge had gathered enough evidence to arrest Florian R. and request his placement in pre-trial detention.

In September 2022, a message on the Telegram channel announces the end of Julien V.’s activity, as he suspects an investigation has been opened against him. On 15 October 2022, he is arrested by the Thai police following a street brawl, and placed in detention. At the same time, the investigating judge sends a request for judicial assistance to the Thai authorities. This request is carried out in December 2022. On 14 December, a search is ordered in Thailand at Julien V.’s home. On 17 December, his mother is questioned by the Thai police in the presence of French investigators from the Service d’Enquêtes Judiciaires des Finances (SEJF), which is to the Ministry of the Economy and Finance what a central office is to the Ministry of the Interior. In other words, it represents the most effective resource available in terms of judicial investigation.

On 19 December 2022, it is Julien V.’s turn to be questioned by the Thai police, again in the presence of SEJF investigators, the office working on the investigation into the entire criminal network in France.

In February 2023, the Thai authorities decide to deport Julien V. from their territory, and he is received by French Customs on 9 February, then immediately brought before the investigating judge and placed in pre-trial detention. Two further interrogations take place, as well as a confrontation with Florian R., who is also still in pre-trial detention.

This is the statement of facts as recounted by the presiding judge of the Paris Judicial Court at the start of the hearing on 11 March 2024. We took more than 20 pages of notes, which we must process and compile in order to give you an account as close as possible to what was said at the hearing. We will see you for the third instalment and the continuation of this investigation into the dismantling of the largest network of counterfeit Swiss luxury watches.

Frequently asked questions