Francisco José Gonzáles de Martos, better known as Paco Sanz, 46 years old, is from Valencia, Spain.
He hunted thousands of people for seven years. What’s more: his infamous collection reached 264,780 euros (about 1,142 million Colombian pesos) in donations to ‘help’ him fight an alleged disease.
According to the Spanish newspaper ‘Nius’, in 2009, he was diagnosed with Cowde syndrome, a disease of genetic origin classified as ‘rare’. This condition it is characterized by the appearance of a series of benign tumors, but without immediate danger to life.
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From then on, Sanz began his criminal activity. According to the aforementioned media, he devised a plan whereby not only ordinary people were victims, but also personalities, such as the ‘youtuber’ AuronPlay and Santi Rodríguez, a well-known Spanish actor and comedian.
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Sanz used his sickly appearance to complement his deceit.
He started out by asking for a collection with the premise, “I’m desperate for my life and the only experimental option is in the US. I need your help.” The same phrase was used on www.ayudapacosanz.com, his website.
That website no longer exists, but at that time photos and information with bank details can be found to send you financial assistance.
His mother, father and former partner had also been linked to the plot of the scam.
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The fraud
After being diagnosed with Cowden syndrome, in 2012 he became absolutely incapacitated for work, bearing in mind that he was a carrier of a common illness.
Sanz began to receive a pension equal to about $ 746 a month (about 3,217,000 Colombian pesos).
The scammer officially registered the Paco Sanz Association for the Investigation of Cowden Syndrome, Spain in early 2012. He was named president and in his bylaws he stated that he was non-profit making as his sole purpose was to help those affected by the disease.
For this reason, he opened a bank account with this new entity.
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Often with the loneliness of a cup of coffee and your thoughts can change life, I still have a lot of war to give although he does some of it pic.twitter.com/s106WovNS4
– Paco Sanz (@paco_sanz) March 7, 2017
(You can see Sanz’s post on Twitter here).
As for how he developed a near-perfect lie for seven years, there were several situations in which his behavior resembled that of a real patient. A real grieving. A martyr.
The help via the web platform was carried out by sending text messages in which you simply had to write ‘Paco’ and send it to a telephone number.
The message cost 1.45 euros (6,200 pesos).
On the other hand, Miguel Hervás Abad, a writer who published the book Paco Sanz, a life of dreams, a life of struggle, was also defrauded, reports the Spanish newspaper ‘El País’. with the prologue and the epilogue written by the youtuber Auronplay and the former professional athlete Pedro García Aguado respectively.
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Written by the victims of the scam, the book recounts Sanz’s life and the alleged pain and drama he endured as a result of the supposed terminal illness he suffered.
Sales of the book amounted to 2,184 euros (approximately 8,600,000 pesos). 364 copies were sold.
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Judicial case
Sans was captured on March 8, 2017 along with his parents for fraud, embezzlement and money laundering.
‘Nius’ explained that two weeks later a court in Madrid had issued the release without bail, although the individual should come to testify every 15 days during the course of the investigation.
It was then discovered that Sanz traveled to the United States eleven times, of which only one underwent a medical test. A free trial period.
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According to ‘El País’, these trips cost between 6,000 and 8,000 euros (About 25 million and 34 million pesos) due to displacement and, because of her low pension, she had to ask for help.
“I received between 8,000 and 10,000 euros from family and friends, but I don’t know how much money I received from third parties”, recognized at the time.
He also received 500 euros (about 2 million pesos) for the book that was published about his illness.
In his trial, Lucía Carmona, his ex-partner, has also stated. The young woman claims she met him when she was 17 years old, in 2014, and that he has never had anything to do with his criminal activity.
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Even Sanz himself declared that Carmona was innocent.
Meanwhile, the newspaper ‘El País’ assured that it was possible to negotiate and agree on Sanz’s punishment. The prosecution changed his sentence from six years to two years in prison, plus a fine of 2,600 euros (about 11 million pesos).
The sentence for Lucía Carmona, Sanz’s girlfriend at the time, will be one year and nine months instead of three years for confession of guilt. since it was an agreement between the lawyer and the public prosecutor’s office.
Finally, on February 8, 9, 10 and 15, he will take a seat in the dock at the Madrid court to answer for his fraud. The public is called upon to the personalities who believed him at the time.
According to ‘El País’ the testimonials will be from famous personalities such as former water polo player Pedro García Aguado (known from the television program ‘Hermano Mayor’); the humorist Santi Rodríguez; the writer Alejandro Ruiz Hurtado, author of the book ‘Aldus viel Paco Sanz’; the actor Ignacio Guerreros and the photographer Roberto Pedro Roca.
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