Quebec man admits involvement in 2022 bail scam in Halifax area
A Quebec man has pleaded guilty to eight fraud-related charges in connection with a bail scam that victimized seniors in the Halifax area in late 2022.
Omar Zanfi, 25, of Laval was awaiting trial in Halifax provincial court this March on a total of 33 charges but changed his plea on some of the counts last month.
Zanfi, who has been free on bail since December 2022, appeared in court via a video link from Quebec.
The young man pleaded guilty to five counts of fraud in excess of $5,000, two counts of fraud not in excess of $5,000, and one count of participating in a criminal organization to commit the indictable offence of fraud.
Crown attorney Will Mathers gave the court a summary of the offences and said a more detailed agreed statement of facts will be presented at sentencing.
Zanfi was part of a criminal organization from Quebec and came to the Halifax Regional Municipality towards the end of November 2022, Mathers said.
“Other people in the organization called various senior citizens in (HRM), pretending to be police officers or lawyers or other people involved in the administration of justice,” the prosecutor told the court.
“They advised the different senior citizens that their nieces or granddaughters or grandsons had been taken into custody for criminal offences and they would need to pledge substantial amounts of cash and actually provide that cash so their family members could be released.”
The cash was to be given to a local bail bondsman, the victims were told.
“Mr. Zanfi would then attend at the homes of these senior citizens … and would retrieve large cash sums from those old people after presenting himself as a bail bondsman,” Mathers said.
He said two of the seven seniors Zanfi admitted defrauding gave him $5,000 each, while the others handed over larger amounts.
The offences were committed in Halifax, Dartmouth and Hammonds Plains between Nov. 23 and Nov. 30, 2022.
Zanfi was arrested in Moncton, N.B., on Dec. 6, 2022. He had a suitcase containing about $64,000 in cash, Mathers said, and had clothing in his possession that matched what the suspect was wearing when he was recorded by security cameras at the seniors’ homes.
Judge Elizabeth Buckle ordered a presentence report at the request of Zanfi’s lawyer, Carbo Kwan, and scheduled his sentencing hearing for May 16.
The judge told Zanfi he will have to be in court in person for the sentencing hearing.
Mathers said it is possible he will seek a federal penitentiary term, meaning a sentence of at least two years in prison.
“This will be a fully contested sentencing hearing,” the prosecutor said. “The Crown’s specific position may vary, depending on what’s in the presentence report. We know very little about Mr. Zanfi.”
A French interpreter translated the proceedings for Zanfi, who assured the judge he understands the convictions could affect his ability to travel to some countries and to work in certain fields.
Remaining charges
The rest of the charges against Zanfi — nine counts of fraud over $5,000, 13 counts of possession of property over $5,000 that was obtained by crime, and three counts of possession of property under $5,000 — will be dismissed after he is sentenced.
Zanfi’s father is a surety for his $14,000 bail order. Zanfi must remain in his residence unless he is going to work, educational programs or job interviews, dealing with medical emergencies or appointments or legal commitments, or attending to personal needs for four hours every Saturday afternoon.
He is not allowed to handle funds in the course of his employment, cannot possess a passport, is prohibited from having any bank card, identification card, or driver’s licence bearing another person’s name, and must not associate with anyone with a criminal record.
Zanfi is required to check in with Halifax police by phone every Friday and was ordered to have no contact with 20 complainants and stay away from 16 addresses in Halifax, Dartmouth, Bedford, Hammonds Plains, Timberlea, Lake Loon and East Preston.
