Two Men Receive Federal Prison Sentences for Desjardins Client Fraud
Two individuals involved in a significant fraud scheme targeting Desjardins financial group clients have been sentenced to federal prison terms following their guilty pleas. Imad Jbara, 34, of St-Hubert, and Ayoub Kourdal, 38, of Pierrefonds, received their sentences Tuesday morning at the Joliette courthouse in a case that highlights sophisticated identity theft operations.
Court Delivers Swift Sentencing Decision
Quebec Court Judge Claude Lachapelle required less than six minutes to deliver the sentencing decision that will see Jbara serve four years in prison while Kourdal faces a six-year term. Both sentences exceed two years, meaning they must be served within federal penitentiaries according to Canadian law. The judge also imposed additional concurrent sentences as part of the comprehensive ruling.
Sophisticated Fraud Operation Uncovered
The fraudulent activities occurred primarily during 2018, with authorities making arrests in June 2024 following an extensive Laval police investigation. According to court documents, the operation involved stealing sensitive client information from Desjardins and using it to systematically drain funds from accounts.
The joint statement of facts revealed staggering financial losses:
- Forty-one Desjardins clients with personal or business accounts were defrauded
- Total losses reached $8.9 million between September 2018 and January 2019
- Desjardins itself suffered direct losses exceeding $3.4 million
Elaborate Identity Theft Techniques
The fraudsters employed remarkably sophisticated methods to bypass security measures. One primary technique involved calling Desjardins client service lines while impersonating legitimate account holders. Using stolen personal information, they would request appointments or transaction confirmations to gain further access.
Kourdal demonstrated particular skill in voice manipulation, according to police analysis of approximately 200 calls. He altered his voice to impersonate elderly individuals with Québécois accents, including both men and women. Investigators noted that occasional slips where he used his natural voice helped authorities identify him during the investigation.
Security System Vulnerabilities Exploited
The criminals exploited temporary password systems by using stolen data to obtain access credentials through Desjardins's website. Once they secured these temporary passwords, they could directly withdraw funds from client accounts. Court documents described their ability to "control phone lines or email addresses" to circumvent secondary security protocols as particularly concerning.
Police investigations revealed that the fraudsters targeted particularly vulnerable accounts, including those belonging to lawyers and notaries who maintained client funds in trust accounts. This added layer of complexity to the crimes and increased the financial impact on multiple parties.
Broader Investigation Continues
The case extends beyond the two sentenced individuals. Cellphone records placed Kourdal, Jbara, and a third man, Nassim Alikacem, 32, together at addresses in Montreal and Laval during the fraud period. While Alikacem faces charges in the same case, he remains at large and has yet to be apprehended by authorities.
When Laval police made their initial arrests in 2024, they discovered one subject possessed a list containing data targeting 1.6 million Quebecers, indicating the potential scale of the compromised information. This discovery raised significant concerns about data security and privacy protection within financial institutions.
Additional Arrests in Related Cases
Separate but related investigations continue to unfold. Earlier this month, the Sûreté du Québec announced the arrest of Juan Pablo Serrano, 40, in Spain late last year. Serrano faces charges at the Montreal courthouse alongside Maxime Paquette, 40, who remains at large. Additionally, six other men face charges in a parallel case at the Quebec City courthouse, suggesting a broader network of individuals involved in similar fraudulent activities.
The sentences delivered Tuesday resulted from a joint recommendation presented by prosecutor Caroline Gagné and defence lawyers last year, following the men's guilty pleas to fraud and identity theft charges in November. Both Jbara and Kourdal had been in custody since their arrests in 2024, awaiting the resolution of their cases through the judicial process.
