Story perspectives

French Scholar Arrested Over Fake Gold Medal Promotion

5/7/2026

Summary

Story summary

Florent Montaclair was taken into police custody after a February 11 home search.
Prosecutor Paul-Édouard Lallois said the fraudulent Gold Medal helped Montaclair secure an associate-professor promotion and raise his salary.
The 2016 ceremony took place in the French National Assembly before former ministers and leading academics who treated it as Nobel-level.
In a video Montaclair gave the medal to philosopher Noam Chomsky, who later said he did not recall receiving it.

1 of 1

Story summary

Florent Montaclair was taken into police custody after a February 11 home search.
Prosecutor Paul-Édouard Lallois said the fraudulent Gold Medal helped Montaclair secure an associate-professor promotion and raise his salary.
The 2016 ceremony took place in the French National Assembly before former ministers and leading academics who treated it as Nobel-level.
In a video Montaclair gave the medal to philosopher Noam Chomsky, who later said he did not recall receiving it.