Former Premier League defender jailed after being found guilty of fraud – but fumes ‘I never robbed anyone’
A FORMER Premier League defender has been sent to prison after being found guilty of fraud.
Lucien Aubey spent four months at Portsmouth in early 2008 on loan from French club Lens.
The five-cap Congo international made three top-flight appearances for Harry Redknapp’s side – but missed out on Pompey’s FA Cup-winning campaign.
Aubey, 40, also played for Toulouse, Rennes and Reims as well as clubs in Turkey and Cyprus.
But a court in Toulouse handed him a two-year jail term, with 12 months suspended.
The trial heard he conned a pal out of more than £120,000 in 2015 after persuading him to invest in founding a record label.
Aubey and co-accused Mohamed Dia allegedly told the man he would earn £1million in three years’ time.
The friend, named only as Sebastien, had previously landed a £170,000 payout following a road accident.
However, Aubey had previously been declared bankrupt and disqualified from setting up a company.
Shoe repairer Sebastien went to the police after never seeing his money again.
He accused Aubey of threatening to harm his children after seeking repayment.
Sebastien, 42, said: “I lost everything, and my wife wanted to commit suicide.
“I had to give up work.
“We split up, and those two [Aubey and Dia] just had a good laugh about it all.”
Aubey told the court: “My money was tied up in Cyprus, held by my club Olympiakos Nicosia.
“This wasn’t a fraud – I never robbed anyone.”
However, prosecutors revealed tapped phone conversations between the ex-footballer and Dia, which showed their intent to defraud Sebastien.
On Monday, the court ordered Aubey to repay the 145,000 euros, and to not contact his victim.
Clothes designer Dia, meanwhile, received a one-year suspended jail term for his part in the scam.