Case against male 'pawn' in scamming P.E.I. grandparents put off to new year
Couple from Chile has said they know little about scam in which they played a part
The case against a Chilean man accused of defrauding older Islanders in a so-called "grandparents scam" has been adjourned to the new year.
Luis Luciano David Cortez has been in jail since August on five charges of fraud. Four of those charges are for fraud over $5,000, while one is for under that amount.
His lawyer, Marc-Antoine Rock, appeared in court by phone today alongside the Crown's lawyer. They both told Judge Jeff Lantz that Cortez is now facing additional charges in New Brunswick.
Cortez had already been charged in the Miramichi region of that province and made a court appearance in October. He is now also answering to a new charge in Campbellton.
Rock asked for a delay so that all of Cortez's legal matters could be transferred to one jurisdiction. The case had already been adjourned this fall so that charges involving Summerside offences could be transferred to Charlottetown provincial court.
'Pawns in a bigger scheme'
Meanwhile, Cortez's partner has already pleaded guilty and been sentenced to four months in jail for her role in the scheme.
During Genesis Carvajal Tapia's sentencing, the court heard the couple had arrived in Canada by flying into Montreal. From there they travelled to New Brunswick before renting a car and crossing the Confederation Bridge to P.E.I.
An agreed statement of facts said the victims would get a phone call from someone — neither Tapia nor Cortez — saying their grandchild was in legal trouble and needed to be bailed out of jail.
The scammer would ask for cash to make that happen, and said another person would come to the victim's home to collect the money. A person matching Cortez's description would then arrive and accept the cash.
Charlottetown Police arrested Cortez when a woman grew suspicious and phoned her grandson to check on him. They then reported the scam to police, who nabbed Cortez as he approached the grandmother's home.
When Cortez did not return, Tapia left their rental accommodation in Summerside and went to a motel in Borden-Carleton, where she was also arrested.
Cortez and Tapia both said they do not speak English.
At Tapia's sentencing, the Crown prosecutor said the couple seemed to be "pawns in a bigger scheme" and that the Canada Border Services Agency was aware of similar scams that flew in foreign nationals to assist.
Cortez's case will be back in Charlottetown provincial court on Jan. 13, 2025. He has not yet entered a plea.
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