Man jailed for transatlantic tractor scam worth over £130k 

Augustin-Paul Ciceu was running a transport firm that was initially approached to ship a tractor from Europe to Canada in March 2020. 

Ciceu, from Dudley, then offered the legitimate Canadian purchaser two more tractors for sale. The transaction was agreed and the money was paid. 

The 52-year-old, who referred to himself as ‘Gus’ during trade dealings, claimed he would wait to send all three tractors together. However, he never sent any farming equipment and left for North America. The case was then reported to West Midlands Police. 

Complex investigation 

A spokesperson for the force said: “Our enquiries established they never left the country, and Ciceu didn’t even owned the tractors he had ‘sold.’ The video he sent to the Canadian purchaser showed tractors belonging to someone else.” 

The man was convicted of theft of the tractor, which was never shipped. He was also convicted of two counts of fraud by false representation in connection with the others he’d sold without owning. 

Ciceu refused to give evidence in his trial and was sentenced to a year and nine months of imprisonment at Wolverhampton Crown Court.  

Officers from West Midlands Police said that they are now looking at retrieving the ill-gotten gains under the Proceeds of Crime Act (POCA). 

DC Ash Forster, who led the investigation, said: “Ciceu took advantage of what should have been a legitimate shipping transaction to trick the trader into purchasing tractors he didn’t even have to sell, and claimed it was a business transaction that was never completed. 

“This was a complex investigation, and we worked with the victim, who travelled over from Canada for the trial, to build a convincing case. We will leave no stone unturned to convict criminals.” 

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