The Laval police say they have arrested two men suspected of being connected to a sexual assault and say there may have been additional victims.
The LPD issued a statement on Nov. 1 saying that Jean-Michel Richard, 37, and Schnaider Toussaint, 24, had been arrested and appeared on Oct. 22 and 28 at the Laval courthouse under several charges related to sexual assault.
The allegations stem from an incident on Jan. 31, when a young woman went to the home of the two suspects to spend the evening. She was allegedly sexually assaulted by them that night.
Police say there are indications that other people may have been victims and that investigators hope to speak to them.
Anyone who believes they may have been sexually assaulted by these individuals is invited to contact Laval police confidentially at 450 662- INFO (4636) or by dialing 911. The file number is LVL 210218-057.
Laval Police find missing girl
The LPD says it has located 17-year-old Magaly Champagne who had been reported missing.
On Nov. 2, she had left her home to go to an appointment. She had not been seen since and those close to her feared for her safety.
She was believed to be somewhere in the greater Montreal area.
Montreal man charged with sexual assault and luring minors online
Police investigators from the Sûreté du Québec’s major crimes division say they have arrested a 57-year-old Montreal man in connection with several alleged sexual infractions.
Acher Sabbah appeared at the Laval courthouse last week to answer charges of sexual assault, sexual contacts, sexual coercion and child luring over the internet. The alleged offenses took place from 2015 to 2019 in Lachute, Beauharnois and Laval.
The suspect allegedly sought out his victims on various internet chat platforms, using such false names as “Adam.”
It is alleged that he would exchange text messages and have phone conversations with victims, followed by in-person meetings during which the alleged infractions occurred.
Police believe Sabbah could have more victims who have not yet been identified.
Laval-based wellness company to pay $200,000 for violating telemarketing rules
The Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission (CRTC) announced last week that CA Diffusion has agreed to pay a $200,000 penalty as part of a settlement for making non-compliant telemarketing calls.
The Laval-based company, more widely known as Physaro, specializes in the direct sale of wellness products geared toward seniors.
“This case was particularly worrisome as the products being sold targeted a vulnerable segment of our population,” said CRTC chief compliance and enforcement officer Steven Harroun.
“CA Diffusion cooperated with our investigation, voluntarily entered into an agreement, and has implemented corrective measures to ensure compliance with the rules. We continue to closely monitor organizations to uphold Canadians’ choice not to be bothered by telemarketing calls.”
The CRTC investigation uncovered that CA Diffusion committed several violations of the Unsolicited Telecommunications Rules between September 2018 and July 2019.
During that period, millions of unsolicited calls were made to Canadians – some of which were made to telephone numbers registered on the National Do Not Call List (DNCL) and outside of the permissible calling hours.
Some calls were also made during periods when the company failed to purchase a subscription to the National DNCL. The company enlisted the services of call centres based in Senegal and Morocco.
The CRTC reminds telemarketers that it is their duty to comply with the Unsolicited Telecommunications Rules, whether based in Canada or abroad, and whether they make the calls themselves or hire a third-party agency to do it for them.
The CRTC’s Unsolicited Telecommunications Rules are a strict set of regulations that individuals, companies and organizations must follow when making unsolicited telecommunications, including telemarketing calls.
The CRTC says it is continuing to monitor to ensure telemarketers follow the rules and to reduce the number of unwanted calls to Canadians.
The National DNCL was launched in 2008 to protect Canadians from unsolicited telecommunications. Canadians may register their numbers permanently on the List at no charge. Over 14 million numbers have been registered on the List.
The CRTC says that since 2008, a total of $10,716,930 has been issued in administrative monetary penalties. In 2020-21, Canadians filed 45,874 complaints with the National DNCL Operator.
Canadians can register their numbers, verify whether a number is on the List or file a complaint about a telemarketer by calling 1-866-580-DNCL (3625) or visiting the National DNCL website.
