Later, he became a suspect in the Conspiration des poignards, an alleged plot to assassinate Napoléon that was apparently begun by a police agent in what would now be called a "sting operation". He was arrested on October 10, 1800, together with (a member of the Committee of Public Safety), Adjutant-General and the sculptor Giuseppe Ceracchi. His trial took place shortly after the Plot of the rue Saint-Nicaise, attributed to the Jacobins, so a fair trial was less possible than usual. Despite repeated protests of his innocence and lack of evidence, he was found guilty and guillotined on January 31, 1801.