Nine arrested for multimillion-euro ticket fraud at Louvre and Versailles

French authorities arrested nine individuals involved in a large-scale ticket fraud scheme targeting the Louvre Museum and the Palace of Versailles. The Paris prosecutor's office estimates that the Louvre suffered financial losses exceeding 10 million euros due to these activities. Among those detained are two museum employees, several tour guides, and the suspected organizer of the network. The investigation began in December 2024 after museum management reported a couple of Chinese tour guides for repeatedly reusing tickets for different tourist groups. To facilitate the scheme, the suspects allegedly bribed internal staff to bypass ticket checks. Authorities have so far seized 957,000 euros in cash and 486,000 euros from various bank accounts. Evidence suggests that proceeds from the fraud were invested in real estate in both France and Dubai. This case follows a separate incident from the previous autumn involving an 88-million-euro burglary at the museum.