An individual already detained for a case of possession of a weapon was again arrested in prison on Thursday morning for the sordid murder of a 24-year-old man committed in May 2019 in a restaurant in the DIX30 district, in Brossard, on the South Shore of Montreal, learned Press.
Posted at 12:23
The victim, Eric Francis De Souza, was at a table with friends when the suspect entered the establishment, approached the table and opened fire on the young man, under the stunned gazes of the people sitting with him.
COVID-19 requires, the alleged killer, Joshua Sarroino, 27, who is currently incarcerated at the Montreal detention center (Bordeaux), was arrested by telephone by investigators from the Sûreté du Québec.
He will be charged with first degree murder Thursday afternoon, at the Montreal courthouse, from a room in Bordeaux prison.
Sarroino has been detained for possession of a weapon since last spring.
PHOTO THE PRESS
Joshua Sarroino is charged with the first degree murder of Eric Francis De Souza.
He was arrested in the wake of a major investigation called the Partnership, led by the National Organized Crime Squad (ENRCO) of the Sûreté du Québec and by other Canadian and American police forces, against members and leaders of a grandparent-type fraud ring whose victims are mainly found in the United States.
According to our information, a conflict between members of this network and Eric Francis de Souza could be the motive for the young man’s assassination.
In addition to his active cause of possession of a weapon, Sarroino was notably sentenced to 23 months in prison in 2016 for a case of armed assault with injuries and negligent use of a firearm.
Shadows of organized crime in Montreal?
The Partnership investigation is continuing and fraud is reported to amount to millions of dollars.
The victims are mostly Americans, but the alleged fraudsters and leaders are individuals from Quebec and could be linked to organized crime.
In March 2021, ENRCO investigators carried out 17 searches under investigation in Quebec, including one at Francesco Sollecito, the brother of Stefano Sollecito, a major player in the Montreal mafia.
PHOTO PATRICK SANFAÇON, ARCHIVES THE PRESS
In March 2021, ENRCO investigators carried out 17 searches under investigation in Quebec, including one at Francesco Sollecito, the brother of Stefano Sollecito, a major player in the Montreal mafia.
A total of 35 people have been met by investigators, but no one has yet been arrested, apart from Sarroino and another individual in the gun possession case.
According to investigative summaries filed in US courts by the FBI, the fraudsters’ modus operandi is almost always the same.
A small troop of collectors recruited by a network of fraudsters settles in a city and finds vacant houses whose addresses can be used to receive money.
Scammers then phone older people pretending to be lawyers or police. They explain that one of the victim’s grandchildren or another member of their family was involved in an accident. He needs the money fast. To help, the senior can send a few thousand dollars through a fast delivery service. The person on the phone gives the address of a vacant house.
When the money is delivered, the group of collectors picks up the package. After a while, he disappears and takes over the ride in another city in the United States.
While Quebec police officers searched last March, their American counterparts apprehended ten suspected fraudsters in our neighbors to the South for fraud committed in the states of Washington, Michigan, Florida, Ohio and Oregon. , Massachusetts, Illinois, Virginia, Mississippi and South Carolina.
With Vincent Larouche
To reach Daniel Renaud, dial 514 285-7000, extension 4918, write to [email protected] or write to the postal address of Press.