Here’s the story of El Pequeño Nicolás, the 15 year old that infiltrated Spain’s political and power circles.
The name Francisco Nicolás Gómez Iglesias, better known as ‘El Pequeño Nicolás’ (Little Nicholas), is a name that reverberates through the corridors of Spanish media and judiciary with a blend of incredulity and fascination. Born in Madrid on April 18, 1994, Nicolás’s rise to notoriety is a tale of deception, impersonation, and scandal, culminating in multiple arrests and convictions. He is the Spanish Anna Delvey, the scammer of scam artists, pop culture’s fraudster.
This is his story.
A Charade of Influence and Power
It’s surprising that Netflix hasn’t caught up on Nicolás’ story yet.
Nicolás’s story begins in Madrid, where, from a young age, he exhibited a penchant for the dramatic and the grandiose. Living with his grandmother since he was 14, Nicolás’s ordinary life as a law student was a mere façade. Behind this unassuming veneer, he concocted an elaborate alternate reality, one where he wielded significant political and business clout.
His methods were as bold as they were cunning. He defrauded dozens, promising lucrative business opportunities through his alleged high-profile contacts in the Spanish Administration and the government. The deception was meticulous; Nicolás leased luxury cars and even hired personal bodyguards to reinforce his fabricated identity. He went as far as to install a blue light, similar to those used by undercover security forces, in one of these vehicles, allowing him to flout traffic laws and bolster his false persona.
The audacity of Nicolás’s impersonations knew no bounds. He infiltrated the highest echelons of Spanish power, posing as a member of the CNI (Centro Nacional de Inteligencia), Spain’s national intelligence agency. His brazen acts included attending high-profile events, such as the crowning of King Felipe VI, under these false pretenses.
The Beginning of the End
The façade began to crumble in October 2014 when Nicolás was arrested by the National Police on charges of forgery, fraud, and identity theft. Despite being released on bail shortly after, this arrest marked the start of his legal troubles. Nicolás, in a twist that only adds to his enigmatic persona, claimed in interviews to have worked for the Spanish secret service, the Royal family, and the vice presidency of the Spanish government, even asserting a role as President of the youth organisation of the Partido Popular (People’s Party) in Moncloa-Aravaca.
A Spree of Legal Troubles
His legal woes escalated over the years. In February 2015, he was arrested for not paying his share of a restaurant bill. Then, in June 2021, he received his first sentence of one year and nine months in prison for falsifying ID for a friend to take university entrance tests on his behalf. By July 2021, he was sentenced to three years for impersonating public functions and active bribery. By December 2022, Nicolás had been convicted for a third time for similar offences, this time resulting in three years and five months’ imprisonment.
The Latest Chapter
The saga continued as recent as March 2023, when Nicolás received another sentence, adding four years and three months to his prison time. This was for accessing confidential information from police databases for personal gain. His total prison time now accumulates to over 12 years. Nicolás’s repeated failings to dismiss the charges against him only accentuated his downfall. Interestingly, he did manage to dodge a conviction in 2018 for slander against the CNI but has faced only setbacks since 2021.
The Final Blow
El Pequeño Nicolás’ latest conviction involved a complex illegal scheme to acquire confidential police database information, facilitated by contacts within the Madrid Police. This information, often about business figures, was used for personal benefit. The court found that Nicolás had offered “gratifications” to two local police officers in exchange for this information.
El Pequeño Nicolás’s tale is a cautionary one of how a web of lies and deceit can spiral out of control, leading from the echelons of perceived power to the stark reality of a prison cell. His story serves as a stark reminder of the thin line between ambition and fraudulence.