Impersonating the Prime Minister’s Son and Defrauding Victims: Six-Year Sentence for Algerian Impostor

He claimed to be the son of Algeria’s prime minister and promised access to vehicles sold at public auctions. On Sunday morning, a Chéraga court sentenced the man identified as S. N. to six years in prison and fined him 300,000 dinars.

The judges convicted him of forgery and the use of forged documents, identity theft, fraud and forming a criminal association to prepare an offense. They also considered his claim of being related to a senior official an aggravating element because he used it to make money.

His wife and one of his friends each received two years in prison and a 200,000-dinar fine for their participation. A fourth defendant was acquitted. The convicted defendants must jointly pay five million dinars to the civil party for the damage caused.

The scheme relied on a namesake connection. The main defendant presented himself as the prime minister’s son and told potential victims he could secure vehicles from public auctions. At least three people paid amounts ranging from 65 million to 550 million centimes. One woman said she handed over 65 million centimes for a promised car, although the defendant claimed he had returned the money before she filed her complaint.

The largest case involved a shopkeeper in Birkhadem. The defendant had built up an unpaid bill of 90 million centimes while buying large quantities of fruit and vegetables from the shop. He then asked for 460 million centimes in exchange for two vehicles that were never delivered. To reinforce his claims, he displayed a counterfeit card purportedly issued by Algeria’s national anti-corruption body.