A 74-year-old Kingston man has been arrested and charged with defrauding five older individuals of $150,000 in a scheme involving fabricated stories to elicit financial support.
The investigation, which began in July, uncovered that a man had convinced victims to loan him money under false pretenses, police say. His fabricated stories included claims of helping a woman and her family escape intimate partner violence and pursuing a lawsuit to secure his deceased veteran son’s life insurance benefits.
In two cases, police say victims were financially drained to the point of eviction from their apartments due to unpaid rent. After receiving funds, the man reportedly led the victims to believe he had died, further concealing his actions.
On Tuesday, Kingston police executed a search warrant at Lionel Bernier’s residence, resulting in his arrest. He has been charged with five counts of fraud exceeding $5,000. Bernier remains in custody following a bail hearing and is scheduled to appear in court at a later date.
Kingston police are encouraging anyone with information about these investigations or those who believe they may have had contact with Bernier to reach out to Det. Const. Anthony Hampton at 613-549-4660 ext. 6438 or via email at ahampton@kingstonpolice.ca.