Pimp gets 18 months in prison

The accomplice and spouse of a sexual predator sentenced to 15 years in prison is in turn sent behind bars, for a period of 18 months, for her involvement in their escort agency.

Isabelle Ducas
The Press

Claire Nicolle was handcuffed on Friday, at the Montreal courthouse, in front of three of her victims who attended, very moved, the pronouncement of the sentence.

The 33-year-old woman had pleaded guilty, in July 2021 and January 2020, to eight counts, in particular for pimping, against five victims, young girls aged between 15 and 20 at the time of the events.

In rendering his decision, Court of Quebec judge David Simon pointed out that this case was unusual, since it involved a former victim who “acted as an accomplice to help his former pimp who became a spouse in his illegal enterprise”.

Claire Nicolle’s spouse, Luis Fernando Camacho Vera, received in November 2019 one of the toughest sentences in the country in a pimping case, 15 years in prison. The sexual predator claimed nine victims between 2014 and 2017, mostly teenage girls aged 15 to 17. He sexually assaulted seven of them.

Camacho Vera, alias “Carlos”, lured his prey to his massage parlor on rue Jean-Talon by dangling job offers as a receptionist or masseuse. But during their “training”, he asked them to undress and sexually assaulted them without wearing a condom. He then recruited his victims as escorts.

Head of management

According to a summary of the facts that was presented in court at the time of the submissions on the sentence, the young women were then taken care of by Claire Nicolle. The pimp was in charge of taking pictures of the new recruits, running ads to attract clients, managing schedules, driving the escorts to their appointments and collecting the money.

Young women who were caught in the nets of the couple had testified in court to the importance of being wary of the “easy money” that pimps can dangle. They also recounted the dramatic consequences that these events had on their lives.

“I hope that the victims’ wounds, how painful, will be able to heal over time,” said Judge Simon, who concluded the hearing by hoping that the young women could turn the page.

Claire Nicolle’s lawyer, Mr.^and Mike Junior Boudreau, had pleaded for his client to receive a sentence to be served in the community, given that she has an “excellent rehabilitation profile”, he recalled when he left the courtroom.

The judge took that into account in imposing his sentence, he said. He also took into consideration the fact that Claire Nicolle was “under the yoke” of Camacho Vera, that she showed remorse that seemed sincere and that she pleaded guilty.

No probationary period was imposed on the pimp on her release from prison since, the judge recalled, she intends to return to France where she wishes to work in the family vineyard.

With the collaboration of Louis-Samuel Perron, The Press