Former prison guard facing possible jail time
Woman pleaded guilty to breach of trust, intent to traffic cannabis, conspiracy
A woman who was working at the Rivière-des-prairies Detention Centre when she smuggled contraband into the jail is facing the possibility of serving time herself.
On Wednesday, Quebec Court Judge Salvatore Mascia heard sentencing arguments in the case brought against Fania Jeancharles, 40.
She worked as a provincial prison guard for a dozen years until her arrest in 2021.
Her colleagues realized she was smuggling all kinds of contraband in for detainees inside chip containers and soda cans with false bottoms.
She was placed under surveillance and on Feb. 19, 2021, she placed a paper bag at the door to part of the jail that holds 16 detainees.
Other guards rushed to seize the bag and found 139 grams of cannabis, 104 grams of tobacco, three cellphones, three calling cards and five knife blades.
Last year, Jean-charles pleaded guilty to committing a breach of trust by abusing her position as a guard and to being in possession of cannabis with the intent to traffic it.
She also pleaded guilty to a related conspiracy charge.
On Wednesday, prosecutor Sara Henningsson asked that Jean-charles be sentenced to an 18-month prison term, while defence lawyer Valérie Acosta recommended a sentence of two years less a day that Jean-charles can serve in the community.
Mascia said he will deliver his decision in June.
Jean-Charles testified on Wednesday.
She said that she fell into a depression after she lost her job, but managed to pick herself up a few months later and has been employed for most of the time following her arrest.
“I have remorse for the harm I caused, for putting the lives of my colleagues in peril (and) for having broken my oath,” Jean-charles said.
“What have you lost since committing these infractions?” Acosta asked her client.
“We're talking about dignity, talking about a job. If we're talking about material things: my house, my car. That is what I lost,” Jeancharles said, adding the depression broke her “for three months before I said, `That's it.'”