The Sutton Quebec real estate broker franchise cuts ties with its co-founder and now ex-president, José Christophe Folla, accused of arson at competitors.
The businessman was arrested for a series of fires and arson plots from 2017 to the present, in Sainte-Thérèse and Saint-Sauveur. These crimes that he allegedly ordered destroyed several buildings, including the premises of Royal Lepage Humania and the building housing those of ReMax Bonjour in Saint-Sauveur.
Folla, 70, must appear Thursday at the Saint-Jérôme courthouse. Two of his alleged accomplices, Benjamin Amar and Alain-Marc Nahmias, both aged 41, were due to appear on Wednesday. According to our police information, they are suspected of having caused eight fires and of having attempted to light two others.
Another individual, Philippe Aune, allegedly conspired with them, but he is not accused, according to the denunciation.
Broken relationships
Christophe Folla launched the Sutton Quebec real estate broker franchise in 1995 with Julie Gaucher. The businesswoman declined our interview request. Through a spokesperson, the company emphasizes, however, that “the link is cut with Mr. Folla”. “It was removed from the articles of incorporation of Sutton Quebec,” specifies Patricia Lemoine Smith.
Verification carried out, the company’s file in the company register actually mentions that Christophe Folla is no longer president or director, as of Wednesday, the same day of his arrest.
Its holding company, Les Investissements Yaïck, is however still registered as a shareholder alongside Julie Gaucher.
“The desire is to cut all ties with Christophe Folla,” assures Patricia Lemoine Smith.
According to the Sutton Quebec website, the company today has 20 franchisees and 1,500 real estate brokers. The franchise would process 22,000 transactions per year.
The victims are said to be ex-partners
According to the police report, the buildings that the arsonists allegedly targeted belonged in particular to a company owned by François Léger, who died in 2022, and Christian Bouvrette. Until 2017, the two brokers were partners of Folla, when they were at the head of Sutton Québec in the Laurentians.
That year, however, they decided to leave the franchise and joined forces with its competitor Royal Lepage.
The crimes alleged against Folla and his accomplices then began, from September 2017, according to the police report.
One of the properties of the company of François Léger and Christian Bouvrette is located on Main Street, in Saint-Sauveur.
A stone’s throw away on the same thoroughfare, another building was destroyed by arson in February 2021. It belonged to another company and housed the Remax Bonjour broker franchise.
Co-owner of the company which owned the building at the time, André Chesnay believes that it was a mistake on the target: the two buildings were new and housed brokers. “I think the arsonists were wrong. »
The police informed him after the incident that in their opinion there was nothing accidental, he says. “Following the investigation and viewing the cameras, I was told “This is criminal.” »
With the collaboration of Daniel Renaud, The Press