CBC News Posted: Nov 11, 2014 7:00 AM PT Last Updated: Nov 11, 2014 9:32 AM PT
An Iraqi refugee with a long history of romancing and ripping off women in Canada has pleaded guilty to several counts of fraud and could be deported once his sentence is served.
Faris Namrud, who arrived in Canada in 1999, already served jail time for romancing victims out of hundreds of thousands of dollars in the past.
On Monday, Namrud appeared in provincial court in Vancouver via video link and pleaded guilty to six counts of fraud over $5,000.
In the spring, CBC Investigates told the story of one Vancouver woman who said she lost $88,000 to the 46-year-old contractor, who took deposits but didn’t deliver on the work he promised.
A short time after the story aired, Namrud, who was then facing his 11th fraud charge in 10 years, turned himself in to police. More victims also came forward, and more fraud charges were laid.
Iraqi refugee Faris Namrud has already served jail time for romancing victims out of hundreds of thousands of dollars. (CBC)
In some of the scams, women who fell victim said he used various Italian aliases, including Gino Montana and Franco Nemro Loranzo, and that he had romanced them out of their savings.
Mark Swartz, Namrud’s lawyer, said his client had fallen on hard times and was trying to save the jobs of his employees at Miami Plumbing.
“He didn’t want to see them unemployed and fall out on the streets and have hardships of their own. He made some poor decisions,” Swartz told CBC News.
Namrud, who has been stripped of his permanent resident status, could be deported after he serves time for these most recent crimes.
His sentencing hearing has been scheduled for January.
CBC Investigates
CBC Vancouver’s award-winning team of investigative journalists break stories that matter to British Columbians.
We continue to find stories you won’t see anywhere else. We dig deeper and go further to find the truth.
Help us expose corruption, government waste and threats to your safety. Tell us if you know about something we should be investigating.
We’re always looking for stories.
Send your confidential tips to investigate@cbc.ca.
