Five arrested in Faubourg Mena’Sen fraud case in Sherbrooke

Five former administrators of Sherbrooke’s Faubourg Mena’Sen housing complex were arrested on Dec. 10 following a major anti-corruption operation led by Quebec’s Commissaire à la lutte contre la corruption (CLCC) and the Unité permanente anticorruption (UPAC). Those arrested — Serge Dubois, Michel Fortin, Patrick Fortin, Jocelyn Morissette and René St-Amant — face charges of fraud over $5,000 in connection with what investigators allege was a scheme involving more than $19 million tied to the controversial 2022 sale and dissolution of the non-profit that once managed the seniors’ residence.

The arrests were announced during an 11 a.m. press briefing on the same day at Sherbrooke police headquarters. According to investigators, the alleged offences occurred between 2018 and 2022, a period during which the non-profit’s letters patent were modified to remove asset-protection clauses before the complex was sold for $18.25 million and the organization dissolved. All five accused were released on undertakings and are scheduled to appear in court on Dec. 17.

As part of the investigation, authorities executed more than a dozen blocking orders, freezing 57 bank and investment accounts, four properties and three vehicles believed to be linked to the proceeds of the sale. UPAC officials said the scope of the financial measures is unusual and may secure several million dollars pending judicial proceedings.

The arrests mark a significant escalation in a case that has already produced major civil rulings, including the reinstatement of the non-profit and renewed efforts by tenants and advocates to challenge the sale.