Former mayor’s son receives discharge for fraud

A Quebec Court judge listed the heavy media coverage former Montreal mayor Denis Coderre’s son received while his fraud case was before the courts as a reason to justify granting him a conditional discharge.

The former mayor was in the Montreal courtroom on Tuesday when Judge Sylvie Durand sentenced his 22-year-old son, Alexandre, to two years of probation for having amassed thousands of dollars of debt on credit cards while visiting sex-related websites and then claiming he was the victim of identity theft.

In September, Alexandre Coderre pleaded guilty to four counts of fraud and to having provided a false statement to police by claiming the debts he rang up — on his mother and his sister’s credits cards — came as a result of identity theft. He admitted he continued to lie even after his father intervened and asked then-police chief Philippe Pichet for help.

As long as Alexandre Coderre carries out the conditions of his probation to the letter he will be left with no criminal record. One condition is that he reimburse more than $5,600 to two internet providers who lost money from his actions. In January, the younger Coderre told the judge that he hopes to be a sports reporter and said that a criminal record would prevent him from crossing borders if his future career called for it. He also told the judge he visited the porn sites, where young women would chat with him online over webcams, because he felt isolated from women in his real life. He admitted his use of the sites was “like a drug ” and “got out of control.”

During the January hearing, the former mayor testified on behalf of his son and admitted he rarely talked to his son while he was mayor of the city. He said he regretted not being there for him when his son badly needed guidance.

Durand listed the 22-year-old’s young age, the fact that he is enrolled at a university and is paying back the internet providers and banks which lost money in the affair as mitigating factors in the case. But she also noted that Alexandre Coderre’s case received much media attention simply because “he was the son of a man who was the mayor of Montreal at the time.”

Another mitigating factor, Durand said, is that Alexandre Coderre works part time in a grocery store, while he studies at university, to pay back what he owes.

An expert who filed a report to the judge during the sentencing stage felt Alexandre Coderre is not at risk to reoffend.

Denis Coderre sat stone-faced as Durand delivered her decision, but his face changed somewhat when she concluded that she would grant the discharge. The former mayor left the courtroom without making any comment to reporters.

Defence lawyer Conrad Lord said he was “very satisfied” with Durand’s decision.