Quebec man pleads guilty to defrauding seniors in Saskatoon ‘Grandparent Scam’

Estimated read time 7 min read

Ahmad Ebad Ebadi, 26, pleaded guilty to defrauding Saskatoon seniors of thousands of dollars between Dec. 30, 2022 and Jan. 10, 2023.

Article content

One of three Quebec men charged with defrauding seniors in Saskatoon of more than $100,000 through what police call a “grandparent scam” will be sentenced in June after pleading guilty on Tuesday in Saskatoon provincial court.

Ahmad Ebad Ebadi, 26, appeared by phone as defence lawyer Logan Marchand entered guilty pleas to two counts of fraud and one count each of conspiracy to commit an indictable offence and possessing property obtained by crime.

Advertisement 2

Article content

Article content

Ebadi was facing nine counts of fraud over $5,000. Crown prosecutor Carol Carlson said the Crown is rolling all nine counts into a single charge of fraud over $5,000, to which Ebadi pleaded guilty, encompassing each offence committed between Dec. 30, 2022 and Jan. 10, 2023.

Ebadi also pleaded guilty to one count of fraud under $5,000. Court information shows he was charged with defrauding the Courtyard by Marriott Hotel in Saskatoon of an amount under $500, and an additional charge related to credit card fraud, between Dec. 29, 2022 and Jan. 9 2023.

He was arrested on Jan. 10, 2023 in the 400 block of Nelson Road in the city’s University Heights neighbourhood. The CBC reported that an elderly couple called police and lured Ebadi, who was posing as a bail bondsman, to their condo after getting a suspicious call from someone pretending to be their grandson and asking for bail money. 

Two other men, Sofyane Elgamal, 26, and Cedric Boivin Oligny, 27, were arrested during a traffic stop on 22nd Street the next day.

Ebadi and Elgamal were released on sureties and are required to live at approved residences in a suburb of Montreal, according to court documents.

Article content

Advertisement 3

Article content

The men are accused of convincing at least 10 victims in their early 70s to mid-90s to hand over amounts between $8,000 and $21,000 to a man who came to their doors claiming to be a courier or bail bondsmen.

Police said the scam started with a phone call from someone claiming to be a family member in an emergency, requiring money for bail or hospital bills. The victim could also be contacted by a second person claiming to be an authority like a police officer, lawyer or doctor.

The callers had personal details about the victims’ family and friends, and always asked for amounts in the $9,000 to $9,800 range, police said.

“We actually had an individual that was showing up on the doorsteps of our victims and taking advantage of them. For that reason, we knew that we had to react quickly,” Supt. Patrick Nogier, who is in charge of the criminal investigations division, said during a news conference last year.

The StarPhoenix spoke with an elderly man who said a caller claiming to be his grandson asked for $9,000 because he was arrested for rear-ending a pregnant woman while distracted driving and needed to be bailed out.

Advertisement 4

Article content

The man said he became suspicious when the caller put his “lawyer” on the phone, and called police. It all happened on Jan. 10, 2023 — the same day Ebadi was arrested.

Suspected ties to organized crime 

Nogier said police believe the three men were working together, and that two were involved in a criminal organization.

Ebadi was charged with participating in a criminal organization and committing an indictable offence for the benefit of a criminal organization. Carlson said the Crown will stay those charges at the conclusion of sentencing, which has been scheduled for June 11.

Oligny is charged with fraud over $5,000 and two organized crime offences. Elgamal is charged with 13 counts of fraud over $5,000 and four organized crime offences, including recruiting for a criminal organization.

Both men are also charged with possessing property obtained by crime and conspiracy to commit an indictable offence.

Police have learned — not necessarily through sources associated with this file — that there may be a list or database that exists of potential victims, which fraudsters call a “sucker list,” Nogier said.

Advertisement 5

Article content

“There’s multiple ways that the criminal element can go do their own open-source data mining, to gain the information that they need to make themselves legitimate when they make that voice or face-to-face approach,” he said, adding it’s possible information can also be gathered through social media, gaming sites and obituaries.

After the men’s arrest, police said they were looking into whether more people were involved, as well as communicating with other jurisdictions to see if the Saskatoon frauds were linked to other communities.

Elgamal and Oligny remain before the court. Oligny’s next appearance is set for April 25, while Elgamal is scheduled for May 14.

An Alberta woman is also before the court, accused of defrauding Saskatoon victims of more than $97,000 in a separate grandparent scam that began in 2023. Taline Trottier, 28, was arrested in Calgary on Feb. 13. She is charged with 10 counts of fraud over $5,000, impersonating a police officer and unlawful use of a credit card. Her next court appearance is May 9.

Recommended from Editorial

The Saskatoon StarPhoenix has created an Afternoon Headlines newsletter that can be delivered daily to your inbox so you are up to date with the most vital news of the day. Click here to subscribe.

With some online platforms blocking access to the journalism upon which you depend, our website is your destination for up-to-the-minute news, so make sure to bookmark TheStarPhoenix.com and sign up for our newsletters so we can keep you informed. Click here to subscribe.

Article content

#Quebec #man #pleads #guilty #defrauding #seniors #Saskatoon #Grandparent #Scam

You May Also Like

More From Author

+ There are no comments

Add yours