Advertisement

Nova Scotia mastermind of investment scam ordered to pay $1.1 million to victims

FILE: Quintin Sponagle heads from a sentencing hearing at provincial court in Halifax on Thursday, Jan. 19, 2017. Sponagle entered a guilty plea to one count of fraud over $5,000 last December related to a Ponzi scheme that scammed Nova Scotia churchgoers and others out of millions of dollars.
FILE: Quintin Sponagle heads from a sentencing hearing at provincial court in Halifax on Thursday, Jan. 19, 2017. Sponagle entered a guilty plea to one count of fraud over $5,000 last December related to a Ponzi scheme that scammed Nova Scotia churchgoers and others out of millions of dollars. Andrew Vaughan/The Canadian Press

A Nova Scotia financial manager who was the mastermind behind an investment scam that bilked about 200 investors out of $1.1 million has been ordered to pay them back.

Quintin Sponagle of Upper Vaughan, N.S., pleaded guilty to fraud in December for his work at Jabez Financial Services Inc. of Windsor, N.S. – a company that was registered in Panama.

Sponagle has admitted in court that he was responsible for $1.1 million worth of fraud.

READ MORE: N.S. investment scam mastermind to be sentenced in ‘Ponzi scheme’ fraud

In a written decision released Monday, Judge Anne Derrick says Sponagle used that money to buy cars, recreational vehicles and property and for international travel, cash withdrawals and other personal expenses.

Derrick says he used other people’s hard-earned money to “feather his own nest,” and ordered Sponagle to pay the victims $1.1 million in restitution. The sentence took into account the about three years he has served in jail.

Story continues below advertisement

The decision says victim impact statements revealed Sponagle’s actions affected the investors emotionally, mentally and physically and shook their trust in others

Sponsored content

AdChoices