Aurelia Aymé, a woman presenting herself as a therapist and Buddhist meditation master, has been detained and placed in custody in Strasbourg. She faces charges of financially exploiting several individuals by creating a cult-like psychological dependency. Along with her husband, a nurse, they are accused of money laundering, illegal employment, and fraud. 300,000 euros have been frozen in their accounts. The investigation was launched in September 2024 following three complaints.

Arrest and Charges

Aurelia Aymé and her husband were arrested on February 12. The woman was placed in custody, and the man was placed under judicial supervision with a ban on contacting victims and performing so-called energy therapies. The charges include abuse of psychological dependency in a cult context, money laundering, and illegal employment.

Cult Practices and Victims

The suspect, referred to as „gourelle” (feminine form of guru), allegedly claimed to have supernatural powers and called herself a „light catcher”. She is said to have placed clients in a state of psychological enslavement, leading to their financial ruin. The prosecutor's office notes that part of her legend was fabricated, and the woman has no formal therapeutic education.

Investigation and Secured Funds

The investigation, conducted by the Strasbourg Criminal Brigade and the Interministerial Research Group (GIR), began in September 2024 after the first three complaints. The activities covered the years 2017–2025 in the Strasbourg and Rhône region. The prosecutor's office secured 300,000 euros in the couple's bank accounts.

The French prosecutor's office in Strasbourg announced the arrest and indictment of a woman and her husband, suspected of creating a cult-like structure of psychomanipulation for profit. The main suspect, Aurelia Aymé, presented herself as a therapist and Buddhist meditation master, also calling herself a „light catcher”. They are accused of fraud, money laundering, and illegal employment. According to investigators, their activities since December 2017 had a cult-like character and involved placing victims in a state of psychological dependency (psychological enslavement), leading to their financial ruin. The investigation began in September 2024 after three complaints were filed. Investigative actions were entrusted to the local criminal brigade and the specialized Interministerial Research Group (GIR). As a result of the proceedings, on February 12, 2026, the couple was formally indicted. Aurelia Aymé was placed in custody, while her husband, a nurse by profession, received preventive measures in the form of judicial supervision. By court order, he was prohibited from contacting the victims and performing practices related to so-called energy therapy. Prosecutor Clarisse Taron emphasized in a statement that the accused's practices allowed them to enrich themselves at the expense of their clients, some of whom were ruined. France has one of the world's most developed legal and police structures for combating cults. The About-Picard law of 2001 introduced the crime of „abuse of a state of weakness” in a cult context into the penal code. The state also maintains an official list of organizations considered cults, and MIVILUDES is a government body monitoring their activities. Heightened actions followed a wave of suicides in the Order of the Solar Temple cult in the 1990s.The prosecutor's office revealed that 300,000 euros have been frozen in the couple's bank accounts, intended as asset security for potential compensation claims. Aurelia Aymé conducted her activities mainly through a website, offering paid sessions of „sensory communication”, Marseille tarot and „center therapy”. The Strasbourg prosecutor's office directly stated that part of the legend she presented, including alleged supernatural powers, was fiction, and the suspect had no formal therapeutic qualifications. According to media reports, she referred to herself with the term „gourelle”, being the feminine form of the word guru.

Mentioned People

  • Aurelia Aymé — Main suspect, presenting herself as a therapist and meditation master, referred to as "gourelle"
  • Clarisse Taron — Prosecutor in Strasbourg who issued a statement on the case