2023-06-27 20:02:58
An Ivorian of origin was sentenced Tuesday to 5 years in prison for his central role in a love fraud which snatched $ 2.4 million from 39 Quebec victims, sentence following which he will be expelled from Canada.
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Sogli Espoir Kouassi will no longer be a free man on Canadian territory.
The 37-year-old man was sentenced by Judge Mario Tremblay to a five-year prison term on Tuesday for a sentimental fraud that left traces in the victims who crossed his path.
Pierre-Paul Biron, Journal de Quebec
And at the end of this sentence, the man who was in Canada under refugee status will be expelled from the country, “inevitable indirect consequence” of his crime, underlined the magistrate.
Treason
Operating in a vast network, Kouassi acted as a transmission belt, “like an antenna in Quebec”, to pass the money of the victims towards the Ivory Coast. Of the $2.4 million extracted from the victims, the evidence showed that $800,000 passed directly through the fraudster, who allegedly put up to $250,000 in profits in his pockets before being caught by the authorities.
Taken from LinkedIn Espoir Kouassi
Judge Tremblay had harsh words for Kouassi and all these fraudsters who embezzle $531M each year from Canadians according to data cited by the magistrate from the Anti-Fraud Center.
“They left the victims helpless, in shame and despair. But basically, the greatest betrayal is the abuse of the trust of these victims who harbored good feelings, which instills mistrust in the entire population”, he lamented, recalling that “society has always need to believe in founding principles such as honesty, love and kindness”.
«[Ces fraudes] dehumanize not only the victims, but all the people in whom mistrust settles, ”regrets Mario Tremblay, who agreed to the suggestion of the public prosecutor to establish the sentence.
The Crown prosecutor, Me Juan Manzano, had pleaded for a sentence of four to five years, while in defense, Me Gabriel Michaud-Brière had suggested the imposition of a two-year sentence.
A balm for the victims
For Sylvain Duguay, who saw his mother fall victim to the network, Tuesday’s sentence is a balm on years of suffering and above all a clear message sent to fraudsters by the court.
Joël Lemay / Agence QMI
“We had to send a message because the consequences are important. My mother, she will never be the same again”, confides the man who protests to see organized networks attacking vulnerable people.
“My mum has cognitive issues with mild dementia. Even today, for her, he was a lover with whom she had a big trouble, ”says the man who has just obtained an incapacity warrant to protect his mother despite all that she has. crossed.
“Even after that, even after she lost everything, I couldn’t protect my mother,” adds the one who wants to send a message to families. “If you have any doubts, contact the authorities.”
The Sogli Espoir Kouassi dossier
37-year-old man from Ivory Coast He admitted his guilt in a love fraud scheme linked to his country of origin The accused acted as a conduit to send the money received from the victims $2.4M defrauded 39 victims between the ages of 39 and 85. The amounts stolen ranged from $2,000 to $170,000. He was also sentenced to 90 days for driving while prohibited and another 90 days for breach of condition. Two co-defendants on a lesser role also pleaded guilty. Kouassi’s spouse received a conditional discharge, while Yapo Landry N’Cho received six months in detention
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