French prosecutors have charged 79-year-old former educator Jacques Leveugle with aggravated rape and sexual assault involving 89 minors, following an investigation that uncovered alleged abuses spanning over five decades across several continents.
Leveugle was indicted in 2024 and has been in custody since, according to Grenoble public prosecutor Étienne Manteaux, who publicly named him and urged potential victims and witnesses to come forward.
The alleged crimes reportedly occurred between 1967 and 2022 in countries including Germany, Switzerland, Morocco, Niger, Algeria, the Philippines, India, Colombia, and France’s overseas territory of New Caledonia.
Leveugle worked internationally as a freelance teacher and instructor, including roles as a French teacher and speleology instructor. Investigators identified 89 alleged victims through written records he kept on a USB drive.
The drive was reportedly discovered by his nephew, who had grown concerned about his uncle’s emotional and sexual behavior. The material, described as a 15-volume collection, formed a key part of the investigation.
During questioning, Leveugle also admitted to killing two family members decades ago. Prosecutors said he suffocated his terminally ill mother with a pillow in the 1970s and killed his 92-year-old aunt in the 1990s while she slept.
Manteaux added that Leveugle had referenced these killings in his memoirs, describing how he had killed two people.
Authorities said the investigation is ongoing and urged anyone with information, or who may have been a victim, to come forward.
