trial • The former reality TV candidate is suspected of having embezzled humanitarian funds to the tune of 255,000 euros

New York Yankees cap on his head, white T-shirt, beige shorts, Dylan Thiry pours rice into the plates given to him by poor children in Madagascar . "What I'm trying to put in place is really that after I leave, this place, they will be able to sleep there, during the day they will be able to play, and they will have two meals waiting for them at lunchtime and in the evening," declares the former Koh-Lanta candidate , who at the time presides over the association "For our children", with a smile to the camera.

A beautiful moment of sharing and generosity that surprisingly does not reflect the comments posted under the 3-hour video, broadcast on YouTube in November 2024, two years after filming. "Thug", "Scammer, leave my people alone", "Shame on you", "Scam", we can read.

It must be said that the courts suspect him of having embezzled a significant portion of the donations collected to help poor children in Madagascar: more than 255,000 euros which were transferred to his bank account in Lithuania. This Monday, Dylan Thiry is being tried in a criminal court in Paris for breach of trust.

He faces five years in prison and a fine of 375,000. Mehdi Mazi, co-founder of the collective Aide aux victimes d'influenceurs (Avi), hopes that the magistrates will impose a "deterrent sanction" on the influencer, who is followed by 2.3 million people on Instagram. "I hope this will put an end to the feeling of impunity that some influencers have," he explained to 20 Minutes .

"Significant management anomalies"

Dylan Thiry began his humanitarian work in 2022. He traveled to Madagascar twice. To fund his projects, he launched a fundraising appeal and opened two fundraising campaigns on the Cotizup platform. They were a success. But some donors quickly became suspicious and approached the Avi collective.

"Given the behavior and background of this character , it was legitimate to ask questions," continues Medhi Mazi. At the time, the former reality TV candidate was making headlines for having promoted, on social networks, pills supposed to cure "cancer cells", "crazy."

Those who responded to the appeal noted that there was "a gap between what was done on the ground, what he said had been done, and what had been collected. We inquired with NGOs operating in Madagascar. We asked them about the costs of the things Dylan Thiry showed. And we realized there was a problem," says Medhi Mazi.

"When we dug deeper, we discovered significant management anomalies. The association was suddenly dissolved at the end of 2022. Although it had raised a significant amount, it appeared that it no longer had any assets, any funds. Dylan Thiry, for his part, continued to appeal for donations to the association's fund even though it no longer existed.

"So, in January 2023, we decided to help these donors assert their rights and file a complaint," says Medhi Mazi. The investigation, entrusted to the Brigade for the Repression of Astute Crime (BRDA), revealed that he had "used these funds for personal purposes, to buy luxury vehicles among other things," laments the co-founder of the Avi collective.

Transfers to your personal account

Contacted by 20 Minutes , the Dubai-based influencer's lawyer, Jonathan Bellaïche, declined to comment before the hearing. He is appearing in court alongside Sandra D., the vice-president of the association dissolved at the end of 2022. The court accuses him in particular of having made "transfers from the donation platform to Dylan Thiry's personal account, which was requested," his lawyer, Tom Michel, told 20 Minutes . But, he says, his client was also a "victim" of the Luxembourg influencer, whose actions she denounced by filing a complaint in early 2023.

"She's a whistleblower," says Michel. "She's a mother of three, in her forties, who has nothing to do with the world of influence and who wanted to get involved in a project without thinking it could lead to this kind of legal conclusion."

When Dylan Thiry, whom she met through a mutual friend, told her about this charity project, "she saw the opportunity to do something else with her life." But as time passed, the influencer became more "irascible and unmanageable," her lawyer continued. She "insisted on opening a bank account for the charity," but he refused and requested that financial transactions be carried out using his personal bank details. He provided no proof of expenditure.

"Not for a second, none of the three members of the board could have suspected that there was embezzlement on this scale," Michel continues. "He always displayed a luxurious lifestyle on social media. They thought all the money had been spent. However, it turns out that a significant portion remained. But she received no benefit from it. She is awaiting this trial, which will be a moment of clarification for her."