A Quebec man who pleaded guilty to helping defraud Saskatoon seniors is going to jail.
Earlier this year, Ahmad Ebadi admitted to his role in a fraud wave that bilked seniors concerned about their loved ones out of thousands of dollars before Christmas 2022. He came to provincial court Wednesday for sentencing.
Defence lawyer Logan Marchand and prosecutor Carol Carlson agreed that Ebadi should serve between one-and-a-half and two years, but they disagreed where the time should be served. Carlson argued for a jail sentence, while Marchand said the principles of sentencing could be satisfied with Ebadi serving his sentence in the community.
Judge Brad Mitchell opted for a one-year jail sentence and an order to pay back $74,979.45.
“The only suitable way to convey society’s condemnation is a jail sentence,” Mitchell said.
Mitchell said that although Ebadi was not a “big player,” he caused his victims stress and embarrassment “for only wanting to help a loved one.”
Carlson detailed how the Quebec crew came to town and went to work.
They duped seniors into thinking their loved ones were in trouble and needed money. It was a slick operation, executed using cellphones, hotel rooms, rental cars and the secure social media platform Signal.
Helen and Larry Koturbash almost fell for it. They got a call on a weekday morning from people claiming to be their grandson and his lawyer.
“I said to him, ‘I really feel that this is a scam,’ and he said, “No, ma’am, it’s not scam. Give us one per cent of your trust and you’ll get 99 per cent back,'” Helen said outside court after one of Ebadi’s previous appearances.
“It’s interesting that they had the same message to everybody. The story was the same. It was a pregnant woman, rear-ended, and now she was in the hospital. It sounded very believable.”
The couple balked at the pitch, though, and contacted police. Officers arrested Ebadi and two others when they came to collect the cash.
Ebadi’s role was to pose as a bondsman, sent to collect the money from the seniors.
Since his arrest, Ebadi saved $10,000 toward paying back the victims.