A Quebec man, 28, has been convicted of defrauding seniors of tens of thousands of dollars.
On February 28, 2024, the Saanich Police Major Crime Unit began investigating two similar cases of fraud targeting seniors.
In both instances, the victims were contacted by someone posing as a family member claiming they had been arrested and needed bail money.
Once the victim agreed to pay, a young woman posing as a bail bondsperson came to their home and collected the money.
Detectives were able to quickly identify a suspect thanks to information provided by the victims.
On February 29, 2024, with the assistance of the Richmond RCMP, two individuals, a male and female, were arrested at the Vancouver International Airport as they prepared to board a flight to Quebec.
Once in custody, detectives discovered that the two suspects were also responsible for two similar frauds that had recently occurred in the Nanaimo area.
In total, the pair had defrauded four Vancouver Island seniors of more than $43,000.
Karim Haddouche and Kelyanne Gagne, were each charged with four counts of fraud over $5000 as a result of this investigation.
On September 16, Karim Haddouche plead guilty to all four counts of fraud he faced. As part of his sentencing decision, he was required to repay his victims in full.
Those funds are now in the process of being returned to the victims.
Kelyanne Gagne is scheduled to appear in court on September 29.