Judge sends ‘fraud tourist’ to inside of jail cell for 90 days

Montreal man pleads guilty to defrauding bank branches and impersonation for gain

A provincial court judge made sure the only attraction a “fraud tourist” from Montreal will see is the inside of a Victoria jail cell.

Emanuel Riolo, 34, flew to Victoria and defrauded two branches of Coast Capital Savings last month. He has been sentenced to 90 days in jail and ordered to pay more than $7,000 in restitution.

Riolo pleaded guilty to defrauding the Coast Capital Savings branches in Sidney and the Bay Centre on March 1 and attempting to defraud the Oak Bay branch on March 22. He also pleaded guilty to impersonation for financial benefit and unlawful possession of identity documents.

Provincial court Judge Lisa Mrozinski described Riolo’s crimes as “fraud tourism,” in which people travel to other locations solely to commit fraud.

She said Riolo was involved in an organized crime ring in Montreal. The crime ring gave him fake identification and flew him to Victoria twice with instructions to open false bank accounts and withdraw money very quickly.

Riolo was able to defraud the first two branches of $7,091 on March 1, before flying back to Montreal. He returned to Victoria and attempted to open a bank account in Oak Bay on March 22, but an employee recognized him from fraud alert photos and called police.

The employee attempted to delay him, but Riolo became wary and walked out of the bank.

He was arrested almost immediately.

“These are serious offences,” Mrozinski said. “These are not unsophisticated. It would have taken quite something for you to go into these institutions and pass yourself off as you did.”

Crown prosecutor Ruth Picha asked the court to impose a jail sentence of 60 to 90 days. Defence lawyer Chantelle Sutton asked that her client be able to serve his sentence at home in Montreal.

Sutton told the court that Riolo had become depressed after a relationship ended, started gambling and racked up more than $15,000 in debt. Riolo became involved in the scheme to pay off these debts.

“It was a hugely stupid decision,” Sutton said. “He was just a pawn in the operation to get a small cut. He was feeling desperate because he had no money to pay back the loans and made a very poor decision.”

Riolo received $300 for each fake bank account he opened and 20 per cent of the money he withdrew.

Mrozinski observed that Riolo would presumably have kept going if he had not been caught.

Fraud tourism is common, Mrozinski said.

The judge said she wanted to send a message to the people who commit these crimes and run these organized crime rings that the courts will impose stringent sanctions to discourage their behaviour.

“I find a conditional sentence would not send the message of deterrence,” she said.

Riolo was given 23 days of credit for the 15 days he has spent in custody. He will spend another 67 days at the Vancouver Island Regional Correctional Centre, to be followed by 12 months of probation.