The head of the Saint-Hyacinthe firefighters’ union has been investigating the union’s accounts for years. Exposed, he drove to Mexico with $300,000 that he had stolen from a security company. After serving five years in office, Martin Bienvenue was sentenced to 30 months in prison on Tuesday.
Posted at 2:05 p.m.
The 49-year-old former firefighter must also repay $335,000 within seven years of his release from prison. Otherwise, he faces an additional three-year prison sentence. Judge Serge Délisle supported the joint proposal on Tuesday at the Longueuil courthouse.
First treasurer, then vice president, Martin Bienvenue even became president of the Saint-Hyacinthe firefighters’ union. Unbeknownst to everyone, he took advantage of the opportunity to steal tens of thousands of dollars between 2014 and 2018.
In this case, he continued that he continued the association by continuing by continuing When he became treasurer, he had noticed the “gaps” in the management of the Union’s accounts.
The union official forged signatures and transferred the money to his bank account or that of his then-wife Audrey Cloutier. More than 130 checks were fraudulently issued to his wife during this period. Martin Bienvenue used the account’s debit card to pay personal expenses.
reset and his partner even reset
In 2018, Martin Bienvenue attempted to obtain a $20,000 loan from Caisse Desjardins. To do this, he forged the signatures of 74 firefighters. He even led people to believe that an extraordinary general meeting had given him the authority to take out loans – which was false.
Ultimately, it was a late payment to another union that tipped off union officials. They then discovered numerous anomalies and then ordered a general meeting to be held.
Martin Bienvenue felt exposed and had an idea: He wanted to steal a lot of money from his second employer, INKAS Security, a “value carrier”. One evening, after his shift, the firefighter walked away with five bags. A loot worth $272,000. But according to Bienvenue, the amount stolen is even higher: $381,000, including $50,000 in loose change.
The couple then fled to Mexico, where they hid for five years until Audrey Cloutier returned this year. At the end of June, Martin Bienvenue finally surrendered to the authorities.
Taking into account the preventive detention, he still has two years left to serve.
Me Cimon Sénécal represented the prosecutor, while Me Amélie D’Assylvas defended the defendant.