Baby-faced student who became Spain's most notorious gatecrasher goes on trial for posing as Royal envoy

James Badcock
·2 min read
In 2014 'Little Nicolas' was accused of impersonating public officials, including passing himself off as a secret service agent and falsifying state documents - AFP
In 2014 'Little Nicolas' was accused of impersonating public officials, including passing himself off as a secret service agent and falsifying state documents - AFP

A Spanish con artist who became Spain's most notorious gatecrasher has gone on trial in Madrid for posing as a royal envoy.

Francisco Nicolás Gómez Iglesias, a national celebrity, went on trial in Madrid on Tuesday accused of usurping a public servant, falsifying documents and bribery for a stunt he pulled as a 20-year-old student in 2014, when he is accused of posing as an aide to Spain’s royal household.

Mr Gomez Iglesias, known as ‘Little Nicolás’, is accused of travelling from Madrid to meet a businessman passing himself off as a royal household attaché to Spain’s government.

Francisco Nicolas Gomez Iglesias aka 'Little Nicolas' attends the court accused of slandering to the National Centre of Intelligence (CNI) on April 24, 2018
Francisco Nicolas Gomez Iglesias aka 'Little Nicolas' attends the court accused of slandering to the National Centre of Intelligence (CNI) on April 24, 2018

He is accused of travelling to Ribadeo, northwestern Spain, in a convoy of four cars, two of which were driven by police officers he had hired for the day, using flashing beacons and had stickers using Interior Ministry accreditation. Mr Gómez Iglesias allegedly phoned the restaurant chosen beforehand so the staff was prepared for the arrival of a very important person.

“I just wanted to trick the businessman and make it a very showy trip,” Mr Gómez Iglesias, now 27 years-old, told the Madrid court on Tuesday’s opening day of the trial.

“I wanted to look like an important person, but not an official.”

The trip to Ribadeo happened weeks after Mr Gómez Iglesias had managed to slip through security and become an uninvited guest at the coronation of Spain’s King Felipe VI.

Francisco Nicolás Gómez Iglesias at the coronation of King Felipe VI
Francisco Nicolás Gómez Iglesias at the coronation of King Felipe VI

The public prosecutor is asking for seven years’ imprisonment for Mr Gómez Iglesias, who is also due to face at least three further trials for allegedly impersonating a government official, hacking into government databases and falsifying his ID document so a friend could sit a university entrance exam in his place.

Mr Gómez Iglesias has made wild claims on TV shows about his alleged undercover work for the CNI secret service agency and his high-placed political connections as a youth leader of the Popular Party in Madrid. In 2019 he founded his own party called Young Influence.

In 2019 Mr Gómez Iglesias was acquitted on appeal of defaming Spain’s secret service agency, after he had accused the organisation of illegally tapping his telephone.

He is undergoing psychiatric treatment for a narcissistic personality disorder.