French judicial authorities have taken the extraordinary step of publicly identifying a 79-year-old man accused of sexually assaulting 89 minors across multiple continents over a 55-year period, in what represents one of France’s most extensive child abuse investigations.
Étienne Manteaux, Grenoble’s chief prosecutor, disclosed that Jacques Leveugle faces formal charges of aggravated rape and sexual assault against minors. The suspect has remained in pretrial detention since April 2025 following his initial investigation in February 2024.
The breakthrough in this unprecedented case emerged from digital evidence—a comprehensive USB drive containing what prosecutors describe as 15 volumes of autobiographical writings. These documents, discovered by a family member and subsequently handed to law enforcement, allegedly detail sexual violations against boys aged 13 to 17 between 1967 and 2022.
Manteaux explained his unusual decision to publicly name the suspect—a practice generally avoided in French judicial proceedings—as necessary to facilitate victim identification. “This name must be known because the goal is to allow possible victims to come forward,” he stated during a press briefing.
Investigators established dedicated hotlines for potential victims after encountering difficulties in identifying individuals from the documents, which often contained incomplete identifying information. The global scope of the allegations spans numerous countries including Germany, Switzerland, Portugal, Morocco, Algeria, Niger, the Philippines, India, Colombia, and New Caledonia, where the suspect reportedly worked as an educator.
In a disturbing development, prosecutors revealed the suspect has acknowledged two separate euthanasia-style killings within his family, prompting a parallel murder investigation. According to Manteaux, Leveugle admitted to suffocating his terminally ill mother and later his 92-year-old aunt under similar circumstances.
The case emerges as France continues to grapple with the aftermath of the recent Pelicot sexual violence trial, with both investigations relying heavily on digital evidence to uncover long-hidden crimes.