A French town that is home to Europe's biggest swinger community is reeling from a scandal involving its mayor and a local fortune teller. Agde, a coastal commune in the Hérault department in southern France, is known for its beautiful sandy beaches and is a popular destination for tens of thousands of couples who want to swap partners. But the latest scandal, which saw psychic Sophia Martinez and Agde's mayor Gilles d'Ettore being jailed under judicial investigation, left everyone shocked.
The 44-year-old medium has been imprisoned on fraud charges, while the 55-year-old mayor, a former secret service officer and police officer, is accused of corruption for spending taxpayers' money on the woman. The pair met in 2020 and prosecutors said Martinez admitted she fooled d'Ettore by pretending she was talking to his deceased father during seances, when she was actually using her projected voice. MP accused of using campaigns funds to pay 'bad people' breaks silence in Commons Gilles d'Ettore (second from left) with former French President Nicolas Sarkozy in 2011 At the voice's insistence, the mayor is alleged to have given Martinez lavish gifts paid with taxpayers' money - including the cost of her second wedding at a château and a council car and driver for her family.
He is also alleged to have given council jobs to the psychic's husband and five other family members. The mayor is also alleged to have paid for lavish holidays for Martinez and her family, including to Polyne.
