Annie-Soleil Proteau presents us with a new shocking series that she and Félix Séguin will host and co-produce. Criminal Family looks at the stories of spouses, children and parents of notorious criminals who were killed in cold blood or recently disappeared. Through her meetings, the presenter helps us understand the impact that a criminal person can have on his entire family. This project is also very personal for the person who, over the course of the series, talks about a period in his life in which he came into close contact with the criminal world.
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Annie-Soleil, how do you describe? Criminal family?
It is a series that tells the story of six well-known criminals who died violently or disappeared. We delve into their stories from a unique, never-before-seen perspective: that of their families. The murder of a criminal is not news to their wives, their children, their parents… The impact on them is permanent. This is how I meet the families who are often looking for answers that no one has been able or willing to give them… My friend Félix Séguin, for his part, uses his in-depth knowledge of organized crime to tell us about the journey of these criminals. Thanks to sources who witnessed these affairs firsthand, he paints a portrait of what led these men to their violent ends. Felix has worked hard in his research to provide new information surrounding the murders of the featured criminals.
Photo: Bruno Petrozza
In each episode you reveal a part of your life that you have never spoken about publicly. For the first time you share your connection to organized crime… Why did you want to do it now?
It’s not easy for me to talk about it… but I don’t want to hide this part of my life that has shaped me. Several people in my family are involved in high crime, and I have always been fascinated by this world since I was little. All I saw in that moment was the freedom it seemed to bring, I only saw the exhilaration… I didn’t see the extent of the suffering. My mother did everything to keep me away, but still my friends and boyfriend were involved in the criminal world from a young age. For me it was normal, I didn’t see anything wrong with it because I’ve always experienced it. Growing up, I had big holes in my heart and a huge need for love. There was a forest fire that I had inside and with these people everything turned into a carnival. Then one day I realized that I was going to bury myself alive and I made the decision to leave this life. It was hard for me, but it had to be done and I’m grateful that I did it. I decided to talk about it today by saying to myself: If it can help a girl like me, a young person or anyone else, avoid the path of crime or give themselves the impetus to get out of it, then it is it well will have been useful for something.
Do you have any fears about revealing all this?
There is some risk in revealing all this about myself. I wonder if there are people in the public who might stop loving me… It would cause me great pain, but it’s a risk I take because I really do it with intentions that come from the come to the depths of my heart. I have recently seen several of my friends from that time die tragically, and it pains me to see the pain this is causing around them. With “Family of Criminals,” I knew I would not be there to denounce or incriminate, but rather to highlight families and the suffering that results from the choices their loved ones make. I feel the need to do projects that have a social impact, like I did with my documentary “The Last House” about seniors and the lack of home care. I hope that the response to Criminal Family will be just as positive. The love of the public is my greatest reward, but I would rather take the risk and help someone suffering from crime than do nothing.
How did the idea of embarking on such a daring project come about?
It all starts with a sentence that angers Félix Séguin. One day, a high-ranking criminal who was one of his informants was shot. Shortly after his murder, the man’s wife called Felix and told him that he was “the only normal person” her husband had spoken to. She wanted to know what her husband confided in her, how he felt since he couldn’t tell her anything… These words are full of meaning. Felix thought about this constantly, thinking about the impact of crime on her loved ones. Since he knew my story, he talked to me about it and we founded Criminal Family together.
You complement each other well.
We were already friends, and our strength lies in the fact that we bring a lot to each other: Félix has the expertise in this field, and I… I had it in my blood. We have very different perspectives on organized crime, and yet we always agree on one thing or another: our roles are not constantly decided. For example, during filming, I couldn’t believe that Félix, an experienced journalist, opened up so much and was touched by all this pain. He himself was surprised at how much the series had changed his perception.
The relatives of these high-ranking criminals speak with sincerity. Why did they agree to confide in you?
You know what I’ve been through. We have a mutual understanding, so they feel comfortable sharing surprising confidences with me. Families usually don’t want to talk, especially about current events, and I understand that. We never hear them and forget that these people are often prisoners of this life too. The danger, the blood, the bullets, the violence, the prison, the judgment of others… They live with it too, and in many cases they didn’t choose it at all. They depend on the criminality of their relatives or were born entirely into it. Therefore, having access to families and their testimonies is extremely valuable.
Photo: Valerie Blum
We feel a lot of listening and empathy from you.
It’s been a long time since I left this life, but the mark it leaves is, in my opinion, lifelong. Felix says if I hadn’t experienced what I did, Criminal Family wouldn’t exist. He also often says, and this doesn’t apply to everyone, that these people don’t like him very much because, as a journalist, he describes what’s happening in the criminal world, and that’s never good news. We were very careful not to glorify the environment in the series. The fact is that behind the crimes are fathers, husbands, sons, brothers… And that’s why families suffer so much. Several agreed to help out as well, proving that a life of crime rarely ends well…
Criminal family is both a “true crime” in which we discover new elements of the investigation and very touching human encounters. How did you find a balance?
It’s crazy because even though I know each of the stories by heart and was super involved in every phase of production, I’m still fascinated every time I watch one of our episodes. Every testimonial blows me away… Besides, everyone who has seen the series so far tells us the same thing: they were overwhelmed, they cried and sometimes they laughed because the series was so full of unexpected and crazy twists. And everyone followed the stories like a thriller and wondered how it would end. Director Vanessa Cournoyer and screenwriter Michel Johnson are experts at telling stories well and completely captivating us.
Did you talk to your loved ones about it before starting this project?
Yes. At first my mother was worried. She wondered what I would say and whether it would be dangerous for me to return to that environment, even if it was in a completely different way. My mom was so relieved when I cut a few ties… After watching a few episodes, it calmed her down. She understood why I was doing it and that I wasn’t putting anyone in danger.
Her partner, Pascal Bérubé, is MP for Matane-Matapédia in the National Assembly of Quebec. Have you talked to him about it too?
When I met Pascal, I never kept this part of my life a secret. He always knew where I came from, but he had no interest in learning the details of my past. Even though he likes gangster series and his favorite film is “Scarface” by Scorsese (laughs), in his personal life it is a world he has never known.
Could your approach impact Pascal because of his duties?
NO. Pascal has seen the consequences and sees no problems. He even told me that he would watch the show even if I hadn’t done it because he loved every episode so much. The judgment of others sometimes weighs very heavily on families and it is important to me that we understand that they are not guilty by association, and of course the same goes for Pascal, who has no place in any of this.
Give us examples of the criminals you are talking about.
We tell the story of Gaétan Sévigny, who was associated with bikers. His partner Sabrina is torn by his murder, but also by the fact that her teenage daughter was unlucky enough to witness his death. I also meet the children of Jean-Raymond Claude, a very high-ranking member of a street gang who has been missing for eight years. It is overwhelming to see the courage of his children MikeZup and Mélodie-Jade. Another story that shocked me was that of the young human trafficker William Robinson, who worked with the Scoppa clan. His mother Johanne is incredibly touching when she tells how he was trapped and how she asks the police for answers, but they don’t give him any. She just wants to stop tormenting herself with questions… Felix is struggling to give her those answers. Our latest episode focuses on the young and influential human trafficker Christian “Die-On” Dionne, who leads us to the dangerous cartels in Colombia. His story is amazing, I still can’t get over it. This episode has it all! And it brings light at the end of hell.
How did you and Félix choose the crime stories featured in the series?
We wanted to talk about the different criminal circles that exist in Quebec, be it the mafia, bikers, street gangs… And the families had to agree to testify, which was far from being won. Three families agreed because they are friends of mine, and the other three arrived thanks to Félix’s contacts. In all cases, we wanted to build genuine relationships. I spent a lot of time with each of them, it was important that they felt that I wasn’t judging them.
Photo: Bruno Petrozza / TVA Pu
Did the families see the consequences?
Yes. We have organized private viewings. The producer Martin Henri from ROMEO, the director and I watched every episode with the family members testifying. We were touched by their comments as they all told us they were amazed by the quality of the series. But more than that, it’s a great sense of achievement for us to hear them tell us that it felt good to finally be able to speak, that for many it was even therapeutic.
See Family of Criminal on Vrai. Annie-Soleil is a columnist at Hello Hello Fridays and weekends, plus VAT.
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