Que. resident sorry for role in Saskatoon seniors scam
Ahmad Ebad Ebadi says he took advantage of Saskatchewan hospitality when he participated in a fraud that drained more than $100,000 from Saskatoon seniors who thought they were bailing a grandson out of legal trouble.
Speaking in a Saskatoon provincial courtroom at his sentencing hearing late Tuesday afternoon, Ebadi, who posed as a bondsman sent to collect bail money, said he regretted getting involved in the scam the second he saw his first victim.
“The other people involved in this didn't have to see the eyes of the victims, and I will have to live with that every day of my life,” he told court.
Crown prosecutor Carol Carlson said Ebadi had been hired as a “runner” working at the lower end of a larger, sophisticated scheme operating out of Eastern Canada. He was sent to Saskatoon from Quebec in December 2022, and again the next month.
Some of his nine victims, ages 68 to 87, indicated through written statements that the money they handed over — between $8,000 and $10,000 each — was saved for either retirement or their funeral.
Ebadi said he was moved by how the victims didn't hesitate to help their loved ones.
Helen and Larry, a couple in their 80s, helped thwart the scam after a caller purporting to be a lawyer said their grandson had been in a car crash and needed $9,000 to get out of jail.
The scammer then gave the phone to someone posing as their grandson, who Larry said had a scratchy voice and pretended to be sick.
Helen and Larry — whose last name is being withheld because of safety concerns — were on their way to get the cash on Jan. 10, 2023, but something felt wrong. Helen said they called their son, and then their grandson.
“When (my grandson) answered the phone on the first ring, I said, 'I could hug you a thousand times,' like it was such a relief because I knew it was a scam.”
She called police, who arranged a sting in which an undercover officer handed over an envelope stuffed with paper instead of money.
Helen's job was to keep the fraudster on the phone until Ebadi arrived.
In April, Ebadi, 26, pleaded guilty to two counts of fraud and one count each of conspiracy to commit an indictable offence and possessing property obtained by crime.
Judge Brad Mitchell will choose a date for his sentencing decision this week.
Defence lawyer Logan Marchand noted his client is the only one who has repaid any money, and a jail sentence could prevent him from continuing to make reparations. He brought a $10,000 cheque to court to start repaying the $74,929.45 restitution order sought by the Crown.
Cedric Boivin Oligny, 27, was sentenced on April 26 to nine months in jail for defrauding three victims in a role similar to Ebadi's. He was ordered to repay the money he stole.
Sofyane Elgamal, 27, is still before the court.