An 18-year-old fraudster who swindled thousands of dollars from vulnerable seniors has escaped with a six-month prison sentence. A sweet sentence worthy of a “youth court,” said the judge, who had no choice but to support the joint proposal of the Crown and defense.
Posted at 4:45 p.m.
“This crime is worth two years. Six months is a juvenile punishment. You’re lucky this is a common suggestion, I won’t intervene. I would have sent him to prison, I guarantee you,” judge Pierre Bélisle marveled last week.
Judges are usually obliged to accept joint proposals. Since the Cook decision in 2016, the Supreme Court has set the bar high for a judge to reject such a proposal.
Judge Bélisle was visibly dissatisfied with the lenient sentence proposed in the Koby Elong case. The 18-year-old CEGEP student pleaded guilty to charges of fraud, attempted carjacking and possession of a burglary tool. He must serve a total sentence of six months.
“I remind you that we are not in juvenile court. “We are in an adult court, it remains to be seen,” advised Judge Bélisle before hearing the joint proposal of both parties.
The proposed sentence takes into account the early nature of the case and the fact that the fraudster is at the beginning of his adult life.
“That’s a good start,” the Quebec court judge quipped.
Six elders Victim of fraud
Koby Elong tricked six vulnerable seniors into obtaining their debit cards and PINs through a common crime, false information fraud.
The same procedure every time: The target receives a call from a person pretending to be a police officer. This explains to the person that they have just become a victim of fraud. He suggests that she leave her ATM cards and PIN in an envelope outside her house. The bandits then collect everything and withdraw money from the accounts of the victims, usually senior citizens.
Koby Elong used the cards less than an hour after the scam calls. An accomplice who was not identified by the police was responsible for contacting the victims.
One of them actually realized the deception a few minutes after he called. But the damage had already been done: the envelope that was on his doorstep had already disappeared.
Koby Elong used this trick six times in the summer of 2023.
The banks reimbursed the captured citizens for the lost amounts, even though they had voluntarily provided their PINs. “These are vulnerable people. “It is a very well-known trick that banks are used to,” explained the prosecutor.
Losses to the three affected financial institutions are estimated at $10,606.18. The total scam amounted to almost $23,000 as Koby Elong made further attempts that failed due to the imposed withdrawal limit.
The young criminal was identified by authorities from images captured by a surveillance camera near an ATM. There he was able to easily receive the maximum payout amount because his victims had submitted their PIN.
A heinous crime, they say Judge
“We can’t say it doesn’t matter because they are banks. You are lucky that they have been reimbursed,” emphasized Judge Bélisle.
He described the young man’s crimes as “serious and heinous.” “Stealing from older people is disgusting. I don’t know what to say about this type of crime except that it blows me away, the lack of morals,” he explained to Koby Elong.
In addition to his six-month prison sentence, the latter must perform 50 hours of community service within two years and repay the losses of the three financial institutions.
The judge also asked how the young man would go about paying off his debts.
His client will resume his work and become an asset to the company, assured his lawyer Me Jean-Luc Dagenais.
It was Me Geneviève Bélanger who represented the prosecutor in this case.