Man accused of fraud conspiracy likely to plead guilty: defence

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A Quebec man is likely to plead guilty to defrauding several Moncton-area people out of thousands of dollars in late 2022, according to his lawyer, though whether that happens in Moncton or Halifax is yet to be determined.

Omar Zanfi, 25, of Laval, was charged in November 2023 in Moncton provincial court with seven indictable offences that allege he unlawfully scammed tens of thousands of dollars from people in this region. He’s charged with six counts of fraud exceeding $5,000, including defrauding Sandra Allen, Robert LeBlanc, Joan Carson and Patricia Gobie in Moncton on Dec. 5, 2022, and Irene McMackin in Riverview on that same date.

He’s also charged with defrauding John Barber of more than $5,000 in Moncton on Dec. 7, 2022, and conspiring with unknown persons at or near Moncton between Dec. 4-8, 2022, to defraud Elizabeth Kenny and other persons in Moncton of sums of money.

While the Quebec resident has previously appeared in court, he was not present Wednesday but was represented by lawyer Adrian Forsythe. The purpose of the appearance was to enter pleas but Forsythe put that off. He indicated to the court this case likely will not go to trial and the details of the resolution are still being worked out with the prosecutor assigned to the file.

Forsythe said that resolution could come in the form of guilty pleas in Moncton, or a transfer of the file to Halifax, where Zanfi has already pleaded guilty to similar charges but has not yet been sentenced. To transfer a file and be sentenced in another jurisdiction, an accused person must undertake to plead guilty to the charges.

The judge adjourned the case to allow more time to work out the details and Zanfi’s next court appearance in Moncton was scheduled for April 4.

While the Moncton charges don’t contain specific details of the fraud allegations, Nova Scotia police alleged Zanfi was part of a scam targeting individuals and causing them to fear for a family member’s well-being. Halifax police said in a Dec. 7, 2022, news release that they had charged a man in relation to multiple fraud investigations that occurred in the region in November 2022.

The news release said between Nov. 29 and Dec. 2, Halifax Regional Police and Halifax District RCMP received a number of reports in relation to similar frauds. The victims were contacted by fraudsters pretending to be a relative in need of money because they had been arrested and required bail money. Police said the call was then usually taken over by another person pretending to be in a position of authority, such as a police officer or a lawyer, instructing the victim to provide the cash for bail.

Police said in the news release that the fraudsters then sent a bogus bail bondsman to the victim‘s address to collect the cash or ask that it be sent by courier.

Police said members of the Financial Crime Unit of the Integrated Criminal Investigation Division, assisted by members of the Codiac Regional RCMP, arrested a man in Moncton and the suspect was brought back to Halifax.

Zanfi was charged in Halifax provincial court on Dec. 7, 2022, with four counts of fraud over $5,000, two counts of fraud under $5,000, four counts of possessing property obtained by crime worth more than $5,000 and two counts under $5,000, along with a charge of participating in a criminal organization.

While Zanfi was initially in custody after his December 2022 arrest, he was later released.