Madame made millions in 'magic cheese con'

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. She faces charges of "organised group embezzlement".

Photo from here.