Madame made millions in 'magic cheese con'

The Telegraph ^ | 2/17/2008 | Henry Samuel in Paris

[bruinbirdman]

A French woman is facing embezzlement charges for ruining thousands of South American peasants by persuading them to produce "magic cheese", which she insisted would be sold for a massive profit to the French cosmetics industry.

Gilbertte Van Erpe, 67, was arrested last week in Nice after nearly two years on the run.

Police allege she made between £11 million and £13 million by persuading 5,000 Chileans and 25,000 Peruvians to invest their savings into what they believed was miraculous "cheese paste".

"Madame Gil", as she is known, talked her unwitting victims into parting with £260 to buy a cheese-making kit, promising to pay them double that amount once she had collected and sold the product to top French cosmetics companies.

The cheese paste, she said, was highly sought after to make soaps and beauty products.

In reality, the kit cost £3 to make, and contained a litre of milk, bottles, moulds and a secret fermenting agent unique to Madame Gil's company, Fermex.

In 2005, the French woman and her two local associates, who had opened 20 offices in Chile, scoured the countryside looking for recruits.

The charming, jewellery-bedecked businesswoman apparently proved convincing.

The first few investors received profits promptly, encouraging thousands more to jump on the bandwagon.

But by the time they realised their dreams were turning sour, Madame Gil had already left for Paris.

An international arrest warrant was issued in July 2006. Police finally found her on the Riviera, thanks to her taste for luxury hotels.

She faces charges of "organised group embezzlement".

[kinoxi]

I love that stuff. I’ve got a few pallets of ‘reality’ they can buy at a discount....

[boop]

"Police allege she made between £11 million and £13 million by persuading 5,000 Chileans and 25,000 Peruvians to invest their savings into what they believed was miraculous "cheese paste"."

She would have been A-OK if she said the cheese paste offset global warming.

[Lijahsbubbe]

Mmmmm cheese paste....

[robomatik]

[NoLibZone]

If there are any Chileans here:

Para la venta 2.500.00 USD.

[kinoxi]

What a beautiful plate. Why is that hunk of fermented dairy obstructing my view?

[Ezekiel]

The charming, jewellery-bedecked businesswoman apparently proved convincing.

[JoanVarga]

Whoa! MLMs have gone global and P.T. Barnum is still laughing in his grave.

-Joan

[Cyber Liberty]

It’s actually a reasonable-sounding venture...getting Frogs to spend big Eurobucks on cheese to spread on their faces....

[robomatik]

(in french accent) “zee cheez... it izz still zee aging. don’t dnuh no? (psst the plate izz from zee china und zee cheezz izz from zee auhstraila oui? non? oui? ahhh! neverziemind!

[Lijahsbubbe]

Gilbertte Van Erpe, 67,

LOL

[Grizzled Bear]

I once bought a jar of magic pickles. My wife was furious and threw the pickles out the window. Soon, giant cucumber vine sprouted and rose into the sky.

I climbed it, of course, and found myself face to face with a very sour giant!

[expatguy]

There is something about "Peruvian cheese" that just doesn't sound right.

An American Expat in Southeast Asia

[dighton]

A handful of magic dust worked out,

(1)
(2)
(3)

so you never know.

[Mind-numbed Robot]

I love that stuff. I’ve got a few pallets of ‘reality’ they can buy at a discount....

How much do you want for it? I love reality and I need a bunch. However, how do I know it is real? Is there a guarantee?

[expatguy]

mmmm.... Magic Peruvian Cheese..

An American Expat in Southeast Asia

[dighton]

“Were these magic grits?”

[byteback]

Obama’s VP candidate?