Plea delayed for pair accused of extorting, defrauding Quebecers
Pair will return to court in May to enter pleas on extortion, fraud, money laundering charges
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Two people accused of defrauding and extorting Quebec residents will wait until May to enter their plea.
Jean Michel Axel Gouin, 28, and Ketiboua Kesse, 27, both of Moncton, had appeared in Moncton provincial court on Wednesday. Both had been previously charged with possessing more than $5,000 in cash knowing it had been obtained through crime.
Christian Libotte, who was representing Gouin in Wednesday’s appearance, had asked Judge Paul Duffie for an adjournment.
Libotte said he had received more than 1,400 documents and videos, and would need more time to review them.
Crown prosecutor Guillaume Rigucci argued the process should not be pushed further.
“We have already had delays,” he said, noting if the matter goes to trial it could take several weeks.
Duffie granted the adjournment and rescheduled the election and plea for May 22.
In February, the Crown had laid 21 charges against Gouin and two against Kesse.
The two charges against the pair allege offences committed in Moncton on various dates between May 1, 2022 and March 3, 2023. They are accused of possessing more than $5,000 obtained through crime and laundering money by transferring, altering or disposing of it with the intent to “convert” those proceeds of crime.
Gouin also faces 19 charges on his own, including trafficking more than $5,000 knowing it was obtained through crime during that same time frame.
Gouin is also charged with a number of offences against specific victims between May 2022 and April 2023, including defrauding Etienne Marchand of more than $5,000 and extortion, defrauding Sandra Gilbert of more than $5,000, defrauding Sebastien Despatie, Christopher Hachem and Raphael Lavoie-Beaulieu of money and extorting them using threats, defrauding Christopher Balac of more than $5,000 and extortion and defrauding Richard Verreault, Alain Therrien, Harold Leduc, Christiane Plante, Marie-Helene Baril and Daniel Bouchard.
Gouin is accused of breaching an undertaking to a peace officer between March 2 and June 16, 2023 in Moncton.
The RCMP said in a November news release that two people were recently charged in Moncton after an investigation into the online exploitation of people in Quebec.
The RCMP said in a news release that on March 2, 2023, following information received from the Roussillon Intermunicipal Board of Police in Quebec, members of the Codiac Regional RCMP executed search warrants at two locations in Moncton and Dieppe.
During the searches, police said they seized a number of electronic devices and arrested a 27-year-old man, a 26-year-old man and a 26-year-old woman, all from Cote D’Ivoire. The three suspects were later released and scheduled to appear in court at a later date. On Aug. 31, Gouin and Kesse appeared in court, and were both charged with the initial count of possession of property obtained by crime.
Police said in a news release that through the investigation it was determined that between April 2022 and March 2023, multiple victims lost large sums of money through online extortion, scams, and threats. Victims were asked to send money via e-transfer to the email addresses axelgouin12@gmail.com and axoubisou225@gmail.com.
RCMP had said in the news release that so far all of the victims identified are from Quebec.
– With files from Craig Babstock
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