Court Sentences Desbiens-Duquette for Rimouski Elder Fraud

A Quebec court sentenced Léo Desbiens-Duquette to 14 months in prison at the Rimouski courthouse after he admitted on October 9 that he was involved in a scheme that defrauded eight elderly people of $32,370 in the Rimouski region, according to Journal Le Soir.

The Court of Quebec judge Éric Morin said the fraud involved victims aged between 75 and 93. According to Journal Le Soir, the accused collected bank cards from victims and used them for withdrawals and purchases of prepaid cards over three days.

Judge Éric Morin described the method used by the group during the sentencing decision. He said the scheme involved callers posing as National Bank employees who told victims their accounts had been compromised.

"Someone identifying themselves as an employee of National Bank contacted elderly people to tell them that their account had been compromised and that to resolve the situation, they had to put their card in their mailbox with their personal identification number and someone would come by to fix the problem. It was the accused who went to collect the cards. He used the cards to make withdrawals or to purchase prepaid cards. In only three days, eight frauds were committed, including three over $5,000, for a total amount of $32,370," said Eric Morin, judge of the Court of Quebec.

According to Journal Le Soir, the Crown prosecutor Alex Turcotte requested two years of detention followed by probation and a restitution order. The defense lawyer Benjamin Lauzon argued that a community detention sentence followed by probation would be appropriate.

The judge cited several aggravating factors, including the scale and complexity of the operation, planning, repeated activity, and the deliberate targeting of vulnerable elderly victims. Desbiens-Duquette also had six prior convictions, including one related to fraud.

The court noted that the accused pleaded guilty before trial and submitted an apology letter. The judge said the sentence had to reflect the seriousness of the offense and the accused's level of involvement.

"The court considers that a sentence of less than two years of detention is appropriate. Incarceration in the community is not suitable to express condemnation for this crime," said Eric Morin, judge of the Court of Quebec.

According to Journal Le Soir, Desbiens-Duquette must repay $31,900 to the victims within seven years and will serve three years of probation after his prison sentence.