From jet-setting life to prison: the brutal fall of a former Kiabi employee who allegedly embezzled 100 million euros

Before being arrested this summer, the former Kiabi employee was living the life of a millionaire (illustrative photo). avanti_photo – ENVATO ELEMENTS

A 39-year-old woman, a former Kiabi employee, is suspected of embezzling 100 million euros from the clothing brand. Arrested and placed in pretrial detention, she was living the life of luxury in Miami, in the United States.

She wasn't very careful, putting herself on social media during vacations or lavish parties.

A 39-year-old woman, former treasurer of Kiabi, was spotted by investigators of major financial delinquency (OCRGDF) this summer, in the middle of August. She worked in Florida in the luxury sector.

Millionaire's lifestyle

Placed in police custody, the former treasurer of Kiabi was brought back to Paris, charged with “fraud and money laundering in an organized gang” and placed in pretrial detention.

Just before her arrest, the former Kiabi employee had an impressive lifestyle. Having retrained in luxury design in Miami, she rubbed shoulders with the jet set, describes Le Parisien.

Evening in a luxury villa with an Oscar-winning actor, private jet, party on a paradise island… the jet-setting life of this thirty-something was abruptly stopped.

Magazine cover

Born in Bordeaux, in Gironde, the former Kiabi employee had completely changed her life. She was described as "one of the most sought-after interior designers in South Florida", in an article in a luxury magazine that even put her on the cover five days before her arrest, reports Le Parisien.

"Worthy of a Netflix series"

The justice system is now working to understand the mechanisms of this extraordinary scam, "worthy of a Netflix series" according to a person familiar with the matter quoted by franceinfo.

"This fraud in no way calls into question Kiabi's financial solidity and has no impact on maintaining our annual trajectory", added a source to AFP, a source who neither confirmed nor denied the amount of the embezzlement. Kiabi achieved a turnover of 2.2 billion euros in 2023.