A French appeals court upheld the embezzlement conviction for conservative former presidential candidate Marine Le Pen on Tuesday, but shortened a ban on her running for elected office, clearing her path to run for president in 2027, albeit mandating she wear an ankle monitor for a year.

France’s Paris Criminal Court originally found Le Pen guilty of embezzlement in 2025, accusing her and other members of her conservative National Rally party of using millions of dollars in EU funds to pay aides for domestic French political work. Le Pen denies any wrongdoing.

Le Pen was originally sentenced to five years in prison, with two years suspended and three years on house arrest. In the French system, the two suspended years would serve as a warning, while Le Pen would be expected to serve the three years on house arrest. Her sentence also carried a five-year ban from running for political office, barring her from running in France’s 2027 presidential election.

However, an appeals court ruled Tuesday that Le Pen’s sentence would be reduced to three years, with two suspended and the remaining year to be served as house arrest, according to a court statement obtained by Fox News Digital.

MUSK SLAMS LE PEN RULING, SAYS IT WILL ‘BACKFIRE’ LIKE TRUMP’S AS SOME ON GLOBAL RIGHT FACE LEGAL TROUBLES

The ruling also shortened her ban from running for office to 45 months, 30 of which are considered to be suspended. Given that the court considered her suspension active starting from initial sentencing in March 2025, the ruling means Le Pen is eligible to run for office effective immediately.

However, if she were to decide on a presidential run, she would have to do so while serving the house arrest sentence, a prospect she has already cast doubt on.

«If I’m allowed to be a candidate but am effectively prevented from campaigning freely, then you understand that wouldn’t be possible,» she told French media Wednesday.

Le Pen, along with 11 other associates, were found guilty of a litany of crimes related to the misuse of public funds. Le Pen herself was found guilty on charges of misappropriating public funds and complicity in the misappropriation of public funds.

«The court found that an organization had been set up to allow the European Parliament to cover the remuneration of parliamentary assistants for National Front (which became Rassemblement National) MEPs, whereas their activities had no connection with the mandate of their MEP and they were actually working for the national political party,» a press release from the Paris Court of Appeals read.

French President Emmanuel Macron holds a press conference on July 10, 2025, in London, England. (Leon Neal)

The release claimed the defendants misappropriated €2.8 million, which the court ordered them to pay back in restitution.

Le Pen, for her part, admitted that some staff paid as EU staffers were relegated to domestic French work, but she claimed it was simply a mistake and not, as alleged, part of a scheme to divert E.U. funds to her National Rally party.

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National Rally President Jordan Bardella and Marine Le Pen hug as they attend a party event in Lievin, northern France on July 4, 2026. (Simon Wohlfahrt/AFP via Getty Images)

Le Pen, according to The Associated Press, immediately went from the courthouse to National Rally headquarters to strategize the party’s future plans. She is expected to address the country in a news conference or interview Tuesday night.

Her legal team at the courthouse said, «We ⁠are considering the decision as a whole. We will issue a further statement. We are partially satisfied,» according to Reuters.

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Fox News Digital contacted representatives for National Rally and the Paris appeals court for further comment.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

Entró en su taller, se sentó junto a una pila de televisores descompuestos que desmontaba para sacarles piezas de repuesto y empezó a soldar. Una voluta de humo salía de una placa de circuitos verde y cobriza en la que estaba trabajando para reparar un aparato. Hizo todo lo que pudo hasta que, dos horas más tarde, volvió a quedar sumido en la oscuridad.

“Soy esclavo de la corriente”, dijo Silva Guerra, de 32 años, ojeroso y sin haber dormido.

Poco antes de que se fuera la luz, su madre, Zucel Guerra Brise, de 52 años, salió de su casa en Santiago de Cuba, la segunda ciudad más grande del país, en su costa sureste. Gracias al pequeño destello de suministro eléctrico, los hornos de una panadería privada pudieron hacer pan esa noche.

Ella hizo fila para comprar 100 panecillos y se preparó para recorrer las calles de la ciudad y revenderlos para que su familia tuviera dinero para comer. Pagó 7 centavos por panecillo y los vendió a 9 centavos cada uno.

Silva Guerra, su madre y su padre, Luis Silva Aldana, de 64 años, maestro de primaria, juntan a duras penas el equivalente a menos de 60 dólares al mes. Con eso tienen que mantener a su familia de cuatro generaciones, que también incluye a la esposa de Silva Guerra, Analeidis, a sus dos hijos pequeños y a Zoe, su abuela.

Durante casi dos días en mayo, vimos cómo la familia se las ingeniaba en unas de las condiciones más difíciles que, según ellos, habían vivido.

Sus circunstancias son un microcosmos de las dificultades a las que se enfrenta Cuba, que está viviendo su peor crisis humanitaria desde que, hace casi siete décadas, una revolución allanó el camino a un régimen comunista.

El gobierno de Donald Trump ha impuesto limitaciones a Cuba y ha exigido a sus líderes cambios políticos y económicos. La represión del gobierno cubano y su fallido sistema económico han profundizado las consecuencias de un embargo comercial estadounidense que ya se ha prolongado por décadas.

Desde principios del año, un bloqueo petrolero de facto de Estados Unidos y una oleada de nuevas sanciones, que se sumaron a las que ya había, han paralizado al Estado cubano y lo han dejado sin el combustible necesario para que el país funcione. Cuba experimentó un apagón a nivel nacional el lunes.

Estas circunstancias han hecho que Silva Guerra y su familia extendida vivan al límite: se ganan la vida con ingresos míseros, no han podido comer adecuadamente y están a merced de breves periodos de luz en momentos impredecibles.

Las bodegas, un sistema estatal que en su día garantizaba alimentos básicos a precios extremadamente bajos, empezaron a fallar porque al gobierno le falta dinero para importar comida. Ahora, prácticamente han desaparecido.

Hay meses en los que la familia Silva Guerra no recibe arroz, frijoles, huevos ni pollo del Estado, solo un panecillo para cada uno cada tres días. El gobierno dice que se quedó sin el combustible necesario para transportar alimentos. Los precios de la comida en los mercados han aumentado casi un 20 por ciento este año, según cifras oficiales.

Ya que la luz eléctrica está disponible apenas cuatro horas al día, sus ingresos se han reducido: aunque trabaje lo más rápido que puede por la noche, cuando suele haber corriente, Silva Guerra, que antes era el principal sostén de la familia, ahora apenas aporta algo al presupuesto familiar.

La familia extraña el chorote, una bebida espesa típica del este de Cuba que se toma en el desayuno y se hace con harina de maíz tostada, azúcar y leche. En su lugar, por la mañana, Silva Guerra rebanó las barras de pan blanco en cuartos y mezcló un poco de agua con un sobre de polvo blanco para preparar una bebida con sabor a mango.

Eso era el desayuno. Y no solo para la familia.

“Si no desayuno aquí, no desayuno”, dijo Lázaro Figueroa Tamayo, de 52 años, un viejo amigo de la familia que antes cortaba caña de azúcar, pero ahora es cocinero en un hospital.

En la mesa también estaban otro amigo de la familia, Rolando Galán Labrada, de 59 años, y su hija de 6, además del hijo de 7 años de un vecino que viene cada mañana a comer.

Después, Silva Guerra acompañó a sus hijos –Alejandro, de 6 años, y Anna Jeline, de 4– para subir las lomas empinadas hasta la escuela. Cuenta la leyenda que su barrio, Chicharrones, debe su nombre a los vendedores ambulantes que, en la época colonial española, vendían chicharrones a la gente que iba a ver a los trovadores.

A finales de la década de 1950, los residentes de aquí –entre ellos el bisabuelo de Silva Guerra– ayudaron a los rebeldes de Fidel Castro a librar una guerra de guerrillas urbana, y los escondían de la policía controlada por un dictador aliado con Estados Unidos.

En esta comunidad tan unida, parece que todo el mundo se conoce. Las puertas dan directamente a la calle. Los vendedores se sientan en banquitos y ofrecen detergente, café y chambelonas. La gente lleva cubos con agua de las casas que tienen agua a las que no tienen, ya sea por escasez o por tuberías rotas.

La mayor parte de la comida que se consume aquí ahora viene del sector privado. Con el dinero que envía la diáspora cubana desde Florida y España se compra pollo, arroz y frijoles.

El gobierno mexicano, que dejó de enviar petróleo a Cuba después de que el gobierno de Trump amenazara con imponer aranceles a los países que siguieran suministrando combustible, está enviando paquetes de arroz, bolsas de chícharos partidos y botellas de aceite vegetal a niños menores de 4 años y a los adultos mayores de 65.

La gente del barrio que tiene la suerte de tener suficiente para comer comparte lo que le sobra -una pata de pollo, unos gramos de arroz, una taza de azúcar- con quienes lo están pasando peor, sobre todo las familias con niños.

Estos gestos humildes de generosidad, multiplicados y combinados con los programas estatales de alimentación dirigidos a los grupos vulnerables, “es lo que mantiene viva a la gente”, dijo Walter Mondelo, profesor de derecho en la Universidad de Oriente -la principal universidad de Santiago-, quien sufre las mismas penurias que muchos otros cubanos.

Los analistas dicen que el modelo socialista de Cuba, aunque coartaba las libertades individuales, impulsaba a la gente a cuidarse unos a otros, a través de una ideología igualitaria y movilizaciones masivas que redujeron el analfabetismo, vacunaron a la población y enviaron médicos al extranjero.

Mondelo dijo que, a pesar de los fracasos de la Revolución cubana, le enseñó a la gente a compartir y a ayudarse, y, afirmó, parte de eso continuaba: quienes menos tienen son quienes apoyan más a los otros.

Esta solidaridad a pie de calle persiste porque funciona: la gente da por altruismo, pero también sabiendo que quizá necesite algo en el futuro.

Silva Guerra dijo que estas prácticas son una forma de convivir. Él, por ejemplo, arregla gratis las herramientas de trabajo de algunos de sus vecinos.

Figueroa Tamayo, el vecino de la familia, tiene una relación muy cariñosa con Zoe Brise, de 73 años, la abuela de Silva Guerra, que ha estado postrada en cama y con escayola desde que se fracturó la cadera tras una caída.

Él la levanta de la cama -que está en la cocina, ya que no hay sitio en ningún otro lugar de la casa- y la lleva al baño y al salón para que pueda estar acompañada. Brise dijo entre risas que Figueroa Tamayo la trata así porque quiere casarse con ella.

Cuando las luces volvieron a encenderse a la 1:23 p.m. de esa tarde, todos los que estaban en la casa se emocionaron. Más allá de la puerta principal, la calle se quedó vacía mientras la gente se apresuraba a entrar para lavar la ropa y cargar sus dispositivos.

“¡Corriente!”, gritó Zucel Guerra Brise, la madre de Silva Guerra. Enchufó una placa eléctrica que su hijo había improvisado con un taburete de madera, una lámina de zinc y la bobina de una vieja olla arrocera, y empezó a hervir pollo.

Desde los altavoces del taller de Silva Guerra sonaba salsa. En cuestión de minutos, llegaron dos mujeres con un reproductor de DVD que no funcionaba.

Él sonrió por primera vez ese día, y dijo que cuando volvía la luz, podía poner en práctica sus habilidades.

Pero no duró mucho. Cincuenta y siete minutos después, la música se apagó. No tuvo tiempo suficiente para arreglar el reproductor de DVD y fue otro día en el que Silva Guerra no ganó nada.

Silva Guerra dijo que la falta de corriente lo atormentaba y que lo ponía a pensar en qué podía vender para comprar un paquete de pasta.

Dijo que ha empezado a tener migrañas por el estrés.

Sin transporte público ni dinero para salir y teniendo que asegurarse de que haya alguien en casa cuando vuelva la luz, el mundo de la gente se ha reducido. Los días son monótonos y predecibles.

Al día siguiente, los hijos de Silva Guerra se quedaron en casa sin ir a la escuela. La familia no tenía dinero para prepararles comida. Silva Guerra dijo que no tenía nada que darles.

Por la tarde, estaba arreglando un televisor. Justo cuando quitaba la carcasa de plástico, se volvió a ir la luz.

Sin dinero para la comida, le pidió prestados 80 centavos a un vecino para comprar unos gramos de arroz y un cubito de puré de tomate.

De vuelta en casa, él y Figueroa Tamayo empezaron a desmontar la cama plegable de madera que le había dado el Estado y en la que dormía su hija de 3 años.

Mientras separaba las tablas de la cama, dijo que sus opciones eran esperar a que volviera la luz o improvisar.

Ni siquiera durante el llamado “periodo especial” de la década de 1990, cuando colapsó la Unión Soviética –el mayor benefactor de Cuba– y el país se sumió en la miseria, la familia tuvo que improvisar para cocinar.

Ahora sí que tenían que hacerlo.

Analeidis Silva Guerra puso una rejilla de su refrigerador descompuesto sobre dos bloques en su pequeño patio trasero, montó las tablitas de madera de la cama entre los bloques y arriba colocó una cacerola llena de hollín con agua, arroz y puré de tomate.

Luego prendió el fuego.

U.S. Senate Democratic nominee Graham Platner’s campaign is hanging by a thread following a rape allegation from a woman he previously dated, leading his political allies to call for his exit from the race.

Jenny Racicot’s rape allegations against Platner are just the latest scandal to rock his campaign, which has been riddled with controversy since October. From sporting a Nazi-linked tattoo on his chest to being accused by ex-girlfriends of being physically abusive, Platner’s campaign has survived, with many of his supporters doubling down in support.

But Racicot recounted to both Politico and CNN how, in 2021, Platner, with whom she had an on-again, off-again relationship, barged into her home uninvited and intoxicated. Racicot alleged that, despite her protests, Platner had raped her. The allegations surfaced less than a week before the deadline for Platner to withdraw from the race, after which the Democratic Party would be able to replace him with another nominee.

TOP DEMOCRATIC SENATE HOPEFULS TURN ON PLATNER AFTER BOMBSHELL RAPE ALLEGATION

Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass. Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., and Rep. Ro Khanna, D-Calif., have all pulled their support for Platner. Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., who endorsed Platner just 11 days after he launched his campaign and has stood by him through every major controversy, also called on Platner to end his candidacy Tuesday.

But Republicans have questioned why Democratic leadership took so long to revoke that support despite all the controversies surrounding him.

Here’s a timeline of the allegations and controversies surrounding Graham Platner’s Senate campaign.

Platner’s Reddit Posts

Platner’s first major controversy erupted on Oct. 16, 2025, after CNN uncovered years of deleted Reddit posts he made between 2009 and 2021.

The posts revealed the Democratic Senate candidate once described himself as a «communist,» wrote that «all» police were bastards, and argued that many rural white Americans «actually are» racist and unintelligent. Other posts reflected how his combat experience in Iraq and Afghanistan had reshaped his politics, with Platner writing that America’s wars had left him disillusioned and «significantly more left» than when he enlisted.

Days later, additional reporting drew scrutiny to other deleted posts, including one in which Platner appeared to downplay concerns about sexual assault. In one post, Platner wrote that people should «take some responsibility for themselves» and avoid becoming so intoxicated that they end up in compromising situations.

PLATNER IN THE HOT SEAT AS MAINE VOTERS RIP HIS ‘HORRIBLE’ COMMENTS AMID REDDIT SCANDAL

Graham Platner and his wife, Amy Gertner acknowledge the crowd at his watch party after wining the Democratic nomination for U.S. Senate at a YMCA in Blue Hill, Maine, June 9th 2026. Platner, who has drawn critcism for his history of having an Nazi tattoo among other transgressions, will face Republican Senator Susan Collins in the election for the seat. (Matthew Symons for Fox News Digital)

There are more than 2,000 posts by Platner on Reddit, which The Maine Monitor later compiled into a database.

Platner distanced himself from those posts, telling CNN at the time that he was «f—— around the internet» and that he was struggling in his return to civilian life after serving overseas in the Iraq and Afghanistan wars.

«I don’t want people to see me for who I was in my worst Internet comment—or even frankly who I was in my best Internet comment,» Platner told CNN. «I don’t think any of that is indicative of who I am today, really.»

At the time the Reddit posts resurfaced, Sanders, and Sen. Ruben Gallego, D-Ariz., stood by Platner. Gallego said Platner had «the right to grow out of his stupidity.»

«There’s a young man who served his country in Afghanistan and Iraq, and he went through some really difficult experiences seeing friends of his killed or whatever, and in spite of all of that he had the courage to run,» Sanders said of Platner, who Sanders endorsed just eleven days after launching his campaign.

The Totenkopf tattoo

Platner faced another controversy after his campaign, seeking to get ahead of opposition research, released a video on Oct. 21 during an appearance on Pod Save America showing him dancing shirtless at his brother’s wedding. The footage revealed a chest tattoo that critics said resembled the Nazi SS Totenkopf, or «Death’s Head,» symbol, prompting widespread condemnation and renewed questions about his judgment.

The image prompted widespread condemnation and renewed questions about his judgment. Platner said he got the tattoo while drinking with fellow Marines in Croatia in 2007 and believed it was simply a skull-and-crossbones design commemorating surviving combat. He said he was unaware of its association with Nazi Germany until the issue surfaced during his Senate campaign, apologized, and initially pledged to have it removed before instead covering it with a Celtic knot tattoo.

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The controversy intensified after subsequent reporting questioned Platner’s claim that he had been unaware of the symbol’s meaning, citing former acquaintances and past online activity suggesting he may have known its meaning years earlier, a claim Platner rejected.

In the aftermath, Sanders brushed off concerns over Platner’s tattoo, arguing there were more important issues.

«I’m not overly impressed by a squad of media running around saying, ‘What do you think about the tattoo on Graham Platner’s chest?’» Sanders told Axios.

Platner’s sexting scandal

The New York Times reported on May 30 that Platner’s wife, Amy Gertner, had privately informed senior campaign officials that he exchanged sexually explicit messages with other women during the early years of their marriage, raising concerns about the political fallout.

Platner was using the app Kik to send messages and photos to women.

Democratic Senate candidate Graham Platner headlines a rally in Bar Harbor, Maine on June 5, 2026 (Paul Steinhauser/Fox News)

Former campaign political director Genevieve McDonald said Gertner told her that her husband had been exchanging sexual messages with as many as a dozen women, while another campaign official said the number was lower and that the conduct had ended before the campaign launched.

The issue surfaced during an internal vetting process ahead of a high-profile Labor Day rally with Sanders.

The discovery prompted outcry from Sen. John Fetterman, D-Pa., who called Platner a «creeper.»

However, Sanders and Schumer doubled down on their support for Platner, saying they believed he could defeat incumbent Sen. Susan Collins, R-Maine.

Abusive Partner allegations

Days after reports about sexually explicit messages surfaced, The New York Times published on June 4, 2026, interviews with six of Platner’s former romantic partners, offering sharply different accounts of their relationships with the Democratic Senate candidate.

Three women described him as kind, supportive and someone who never made them feel unsafe, but three others painted a far more troubling picture, alleging volatile relationships marked by heavy drinking, infidelity and behavior they found emotionally damaging.

Former girlfriend Lyndsey Fifield said Platner sometimes grabbed her hard enough to leave marks and, during one argument, twisted her arm behind her back, pushed her into a bedroom and held the door shut until she «calmed down.» Platner denied allegations of physical intimidation, and the Times wrote that it could not corroborate her allegations.

Susan Collins and Graham Platner. (Graeme Sloan/Getty Images ; Sophie Park/Getty Images)

In a lengthy X post, Fifield took fire at the New York Times for not adequately verifying her story. She claimed that she gave the reporters five phone numbers, but the Times reported they only reached out to two people.

«I actually understand why Democrat leaders didn’t take our stories seriously when the Times reported them in June but are taking them seriously now,» Fifield wrote on X. «It was by design.»

«They called the two who I clarified would not know about the abuse but would be able to affirm our relationship timeline, events, etc,» Fifield continued. «They simply did not call the other three.»

Fifield, a longtime GOP operative who dated Platner on and off from 2013 to 2015, faced scrutiny after coming forward with allegations that Platner was abusive. Platner’s campaign and Platner himself argued her claims were politically motivated, pointing to her long history of working for Republican causes.

Racicot was also interviewed by the Times, and she alluded to the alleged sexual assault that she said occurred in 2021.

Racicot said it was the attacks on Fifield which compelled her to step forward and tell Politico the full story of her sexual assault by Graham.

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When asked about the allegations against Platner, Sanders said at the National Press Club on June 8 that it’s a «political smokescreen.»

«Republican super PACS want to defeat him,» said Sanders of Platner, adding, «He is going to be a strong voice against oligarchy.»

Pressure mounts on Platner to withdraw

Platner has now lost the support of Democratic Party leaders, who continued to back him despite controversies over his Reddit posts, a sexting scandal and allegations from former partners. But the latest allegation of rape proved to be a breaking point.

Platner said on Monday that his campaign is «taking the time to reflect on the best path forward.»

Fox News Digital reached out to Platner’s campaign for further comment.