Fake Aurora Festival | Double bites to repay the victims of his ex-partner

Last March, many Internet users bought tickets for a fake festival, Aurora, which was to be held in June in Montreal. Four months later, despite several complaints, the creator of the event still does not seem to be worried by the police. His former partner says he is multiplying work weeks of more than 70 hours to “personally reimburse the victims” and “buy peace”.

“The buyers have been put in a situation that is not their fault,” says Kyllian Mahieu, 20, on the phone. It’s not mine either, but if I can make life easier for people who have paid for tickets, I will. Ethically it’s the right thing to do, and I’d rather be honest. »

On March 9, Kyllian Mahieu found himself in spite of himself at the heart of the news. His former business partner, Nathan Scuderi, reportedly took control of the Cenari Group website – a production company that the two co-founded in 2022 – in order to sell tickets for a fictitious event. The Aurora Festival deceptively promised headliners like Harry Styles, Doja Cat and SZA from 1^er to June 3 at the Old Port of Montreal. Cost of passes: up to $650.

Mr. Scuderi, who has been involved in different scams since 2019 according to an investigation by The Presswould have sold for thousands of dollars in tickets without Mr. Mahieu, then president and general manager of Cenari, being able to intervene.

If the self-employed worker in the performing arts wanted to repair the damages by himself, it is because the Service de police de la Ville de Montréal (SPVM) did not follow up on his complaint, he says. . “I contacted him twice to say that I had more information to give him. I was told they would call me back. Finally, I received a letter to say that the file was closed, for lack of evidence. I find that absurd! It is a lack of will and a lack of respect for the defrauded people. »

The Press was able to consult this letter. At least one other complainant with whom The Press interviewed received no feedback from the SPVM following his testimony against Nathan Scuderi.

Kyllian Mahieu was finally contacted by the Montreal police after our questions to the communications department. Without explaining or commenting on this specific case, spokesperson Anik de Repentigny assures us that the “SPVM takes complaints of fraud seriously”. “We are sparing no effort to tackle it, both in repression and in prevention. We also encourage people who are victims of it to contact their neighborhood police station or 911,” she says by email.

On May 8, The Press revealed that financial fraud often goes unpunished in Quebec due to the limited resources and interest of police services.

To clear his name and obtain compensation, Kyllian Mahieu intends to initiate civil proceedings against his former partner, recently put on notice. “If I have to take the Court of Quebec circuit and do everything by myself, it’s because the police aren’t doing their job when there is a lot at stake, he says. I was lucky that a producer didn’t sue me. If the producer of Harry Styles had decided to do it, I would have been ruined for the rest of my life. »

The Press had not been able to reach Nathan Scuderi at the time of publication.

Hundreds of transfers

Pending a verdict, Mr. Mahieu wants to reimburse the fifteen tickets for the Aurora festival sold by his former colleague, the equivalent of approximately $6,000.

“After having explored, with my lawyer, the various remedies available to me, I have decided to reimburse you personally, a sign of my good faith in this case”, wrote Mr. Mahieu to the victims in an email consulted by The Press.

We were able to validate the refund process independently thanks to two customers who had purchased a ticket.

In return, the young craftsman asked the victims to sign a letter of release committing them not to sue him. “This in no way precludes complaints against Mr. Scuderi,” writes Mr. Mahieu in the email. Many people have accepted the refund, but others have not yet responded to Kyllian Mahieu’s proposal.

Thanks to a former employee of the Aurora festival, he was able to get his hands on the names and email addresses of those injured as well as the amount each paid.

Mr. Mahieu also offered compensation to exhibitors and participants of Sexposure, an erotic art fair organized by Cenari and scheduled for last March in Montreal. The event was canceled following the revelations of The Press.

By including in particular the lawyer’s fees, Mr. Mahieu claims to have paid “approximately $30,000” in connection with the Aurora festival scam.

Kyllian Mahieu claims to work tirelessly, up to 80 hours a week. “I take every opportunity. Prior to the interview, he says he worked from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. on a stage teardown, then was called in for an emergency replacement, from 10 p.m. to 4 a.m., before resuming at 6 a.m. another stage editing contract.

“I couldn’t go home for 48 hours,” he says. But I have no choice, I need to work. The fees keep going up, and I’m at the end of my savings. »