The man who brought the migrant found dead on vacation near the American border admits he was paid $800 to drive him there from Montreal.
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Our Bureau of Investigation met with Djemps Dormeus at his East Montreal home earlier this week.
He claims he wanted to do a favor for a friend who asked him to drive the Fritznel Richard near Roxham Road on December 23, when a major snowstorm began.
Mr. Dormeus, who is a security guard and occasionally works for Uber, said he received $120 from his friend Chesnel Augustin, who asked him to give him a ride. He explains that he transferred the sum of 800 dollars received for the transport to the latter via a payment platform.
The two men said they were hit by the Sûreté du Québec for their role in the case.
The scope of the police investigation is unknown, but the smuggling of migrants into the United States has increased in recent months. In November, as many as 393 men and women were intercepted by US Border Patrol agents arriving from Canada.
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Most try to reach relatives living on the American side, as was the case with Fritznel Richard, who wanted to locate his wife and young child in Florida. Guenda Filius, Mr Richard’s widow, says she herself paid the same people $1,300 to cross the border in October.
The driver who drove Mr Richard to the border claims he was unaware that he was trying to enter the United States illegally.
“He wanted to go glass climbing. I didn’t ask him why,” says Mr. Dormeus.
According to him, Mr. Dormeus dropped him off at Montée Glass, very close to Chemin Roxham, a point a kilometer from the American border.
“Not I will say: Don’t pass [la frontière] ; That’s not my thing. He’s the one who knows where he’s going. I did what I was asked to do,” he explains.
Furthermore, Mr Dormeus denies arguing with the victim or even leaving him in the middle of nowhere in the storm, as claimed by the migrant’s widow.
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For his part, Chesnel Augustin claims that Fritznel Richard was an acquaintance who asked him to do him a favor by driving him back to Saint-Bernard-de-Lacolle.
“He came with a small newspaper [sur lequel il était écrit] 230 Glass Climbing. I said no because I had to pick up my daughter and then go to work,” he said.
Chesnel Augustin then challenged his friend Dormeus to lead the race.
He claims he did not receive the $800. The money should go to the migrant himself, which contradicts Dormeus’ version.
The migrant’s wife would have liked to be able to send money to her husband and was unable to do so. Mr Augustin reportedly offered his help, asking his friend Dormeus to collect the $800 from the woman and then wire her the money, which he forwarded to the migrant.
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