An unscrupulous fraudster from Laval has pleaded guilty in Nova Scotia to eight counts of participating in a massive seniors fraud that was carefully orchestrated by a Quebec criminal organization.
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“Omar Zanfi was arrested on December 6, 2022 by New Brunswick police with a briefcase containing approximately $64,000 in cash,” M first revealed.e Crown attorney Will Mathers during a recent trial in Nova Scotia provincial court in Halifax.
Portrait of Omar Zanfi, who faces 33 counts of defrauding seniors in Nova Scotia.
Photo taken from Tite Kubo’s Facebook account
Zanfi then appeared in court remotely, by videoconference, from his parents’ home in Laval. He ultimately decided to plead guilty to 8 of the 33 charges filed against him for scamming at least 15 elderly people out of thousands of dollars.
In the audio recording of the trial obtained by The newspaperthe fraudster claimed to be aware that this decision could prevent him from traveling or getting work in the future.
The 25-year-old man nevertheless said he was guilty of one count for his participation in a criminal organization activity, five others for fraud of more than $5,000 and the last two for his money scams. less than $5000.
A vehicle used by Omar Zanfi and his accomplices in Halifax in November 2022. Surveillance cameras of his victims made it possible to identify the vehicle and stop it.
Photo submitted by Halifax Regional Police and RCMP
Fake police
The Halifax court recalled that Omar Zanfi participated in a vast scheme to collect money from seniors in November 2022.
He and members of their criminal organization posed as a police officer, a lawyer or even a bail bondsman to residents of Nova Scotia.
Security camera photo where Omar Zanfi pretends to be a “bail guarantor” to collect money from an elder.
Photo submitted by Halifax Regional Police and RCMP
“They were calling elderly people to say that their loved ones were in prison for criminal activities and that bail had to be posted to release them,” Ms.e Mathers. Afterwards, the call was transferred to fake nieces and nephews who asked their family to transfer the money.”
The Laval resident then entered the scene by playing the false “bail guarantor”. It was sent to the victim’s address to collect large sums of cash.
Surveillance cameras, installed in the entrances of certain seniors’ homes, made it possible to broadcast photos of the scammer and his car. The police caught him at the end of 2022.
From engineer to fraudster?
Ironically, the Quebecer was able to leave Halifax thanks to a $14,000 bail paid by his relatives. He must be permanently confined in his parents’ home in Laval.
Omar Zanfi had just completed a bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering at the École de Technologie Supérieure (ÉTS) in August 2022. A few months later, he defrauded seniors in November 2022.
Photo taken from Omar Zanfi’s LinkedIn
“If you talk about it in The newspaper, I will sue you. We’re not talking about that,” threatened Omar Zanfi when our representative contacted him at home, on this subject, in 2023.
According to his LinkedIn profile, the fraudster had also completed a bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering at the École de Technologie Supérieure (ÉTS) before being arrested.
Judge Elizabeth Buckle ordered Omar Zanfi to appear in court in May for the sentencing hearing. The court could impose a minimum sentence of two years in prison.