Two men arrested in a large-scale “grandparent scam” investigation two years ago have been sentenced at the Montreal courthouse.
Christian Valdes, 31, of Chambly, received a jail sentence to be served in custody, while Jared Fogel, 35, of Laval, was sentenced to house arrest and 240 hours of community service. Quebec Court Judge Julie Riendeau approved the joint sentencing recommendations made by prosecutor Erik Cookson-Montin and the defense lawyers.
Both men were arrested in October 2023, along with Joshua Sarroino, 31, who had recently been acquitted in a Longueuil murder trial. During that trial, jurors heard that Valdes was seated with the homicide victim, Éric Francis De Souza, at a restaurant in the Dix30 shopping complex in Brossard when the fatal shooting occurred. The Crown has since appealed Sarroino’s acquittal, and a new trial was ordered earlier this year.
Sarroino’s case related to the grandparent scam is expected to return to court later this week.
Prosecutor Cookson-Montin told the court that Valdes’s sentence was harsher because of his prior criminal record. Both Valdes and Fogel pleaded guilty to one count of identity theft, while a related fraud charge was stayed.
Defense lawyer Joseph Elfassy told the court that Valdes has shown signs of change since his 2023 arrest, noting that he became a father and “understands right from wrong.”
Judge Riendeau sentenced Valdes to 17 months in jail followed by two years of probation. Fogel received an 18-month conditional sentence, the first nine months under house arrest. He is permitted to leave home for work, religious observance, and essential needs such as groceries, and must follow a curfew for the remainder of the sentence.
Earlier this year, Lucas Savvidis, 31, of St-Laurent, was sentenced to three years of probation for his role in the same scam. He, too, was present at the table with Valdes and the homicide victim at the time of the 2022 shooting.
The Sûreté du Québec said the scam involved fraudsters obtaining lists of elderly people, calling them while pretending to be grandchildren in distress, and collecting cash through accomplices posing as officials. The investigation involved cooperation from U.S. law enforcement, including agencies in Maryland, Indiana, Chicago, the FBI, and the U.S. Postal Inspection Service.
