Although he recently pleaded guilty to four charges of fraud, former radio host Mario Lirette now portrays himself as a victim, which prevents him from taking advantage of parole to get out of prison.
“You say you were used. [Rappelons] however that is what the victims of your frauds also say. You are not the victim in these cases, ”deplored the Quebec Conditional Liberation Commission (CQLC), refusing to release the 71-year-old man from prison after one-sixth of his sentence.
Mario Lirette has been detained since November 17. That day, he admitted having defrauded financial institutions for $913,952, as well as an individual.
He had even agreed to serve the sentence of two years less a day suggested by both the Crown and his lawyer.
Just before this last hearing, he had said to assume the consequences of his actions.
“I acknowledge the facts. I am going to do my sentence with zenitude and respect for conventions. I’m ready, I’m not ashamed of my actions. They send me to think, that’s what I’m going to do, ”he then launched to the media present at the Longueuil courthouse.
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Not so zen anymore
But now five months later, Mario Lirette changes his speech. Not only does he dispute the facts of the case, but he no longer seems so zen about his detention.
“You say that some of the charges are false and the sentence is disproportionate,” reads the Commission’s decision.
Mario Lirette also deplores having only learned “a short time before [sa condamnation]that he would go to jail.
And it was probably a surprise for him to find himself behind bars for his actions, since according to him, his only crime was to have shown willful blindness.
It is his accomplice Joël Verreault who is “the real fraudster and the criminal”, and not him, he argued.
But the Commission did not believe Lirette, who justified herself for having been “cheeky and naive”, explaining that she had found herself in a “spiral” that was going too fast.
Victim never reimbursed
“The fraud was organized and structured, and there were numerous transactions, decided the CQLC. It is possible that you were not the instigator of the frauds, but you collaborated and participated in the activities proposed by your accomplice.
During his guilty plea, Mario Lirette admitted having taken part, in 2015, in a fraudulent scheme of the check cavalry type (kitting). This consists of depositing an NSF check and making withdrawals, before said check is cleared by the bank.
To achieve his ends, the former host had not hesitated to take advantage of his status as a public figure.
In order to contract a private loan of $66,650, he had revealed his vast income as a radio host to one of his victims, boasting of having signed a contract with Cogeco for $1.5 million over five years.
Despite everything, the accused never reimbursed the cheated individual.
Always a risk
Very recently, Mr. Lirette seems to have taken some responsibility for the alleged actions, noted the CQLC. But this is not enough to grant him a release, considering that he still represents “an unacceptable risk of recidivism for society”.
Lirette was also ordered to reimburse his victim $33,325 within 18 months of his release from prison. If he does not pay, he faces a 15-month prison sentence, Crown prosecutor Simon Lacoste warned during the guilty plea.
His accomplice Joël Verreault pleaded guilty in 2019 and had to serve two years in the shade.