A former bank teller who is said to have cheated an octogenarian and siphoned off more than $314,000 has complained that he can no longer find a “decent” job, so much so that he has to do his own chores.
“Any company that deals in criminal history is looking for a decent job. I don’t have the means to pay a cleaning lady,” Fadi Hamdan announced Wednesday at the Montreal courthouse, hoping to get clemency from the judge.
Hamdan, 55, is a former bank teller who had no qualms draining the accounts of an octogenarian who entrusted him with managing his fortune in 2018. The late Demetre Visvardis had no affiliation with Canada and had great confidence in the defendant, which he even recorded in his will.
“I was a team leader, I distinguished myself by always being among the best, my performance has already been highlighted,” Hamdan praised himself on Wednesday.
However, behind his appearance as a model employee was a scammer who did not hesitate to embezzle the victim’s funds for personal gain. Among other things, he bought land in Ecuador and sent his children to a private school.
And when Mr. Visvardis asked for information about his money, Hamdan remained deaf.
However, the fraudster’s machinations were exposed. And if he swore he had the octogenarian’s permission to use the money for his own ends, Judge Yves Paradis didn’t believe him.
But even when Hamdan was convicted of fraud, he didn’t give up hope of getting away with a light sentence. His lawyer, Me François Taddeo, therefore proposed a home sentence of two years less per day, or a year at worst. He also suggests community work.
For his part, Nicolas Ammerlaan of the Crown suggested 30 months in prison.
Judge Yves Paradis will announce his decision in September.
In another, this time civil, case, Hamdan agreed to pay back $275,000. To date, he has yet to pay $155,000, and while he said he would do whatever it takes to honor that agreement, he stressed it was “very difficult” for him.