‘Vulnerable victim’

Paul Alexsandro Lombardi used man with public guardian to cash forged cheques

A repeat fraudster is back in jail after using a man who was under public guardianship to cash forged cheques for him.

Paul Alexsandro Lombardi, 32, appeared before Chief Judge Jeff Lantz in provincial court in Charlottetown on Thursday where he pleaded guilty to one count of using a forged document.

Lantz sentenced Lombardi to 60 days in jail followed by 18 months of probation.

Reading from an agreed statement of facts, Crown attorney Bridget Morriscey said that in October, Lombardi met the victim through an acquaintance and asked him to cash several cheques.

The acquaintance told Lombardi the victim couldn’t cash the cheques because he had a public guardian, Morriscey said.

A public guardian is someone the provincial government appoints to protect vulnerable people and look after their personal affairs when they are incapable of doing it themselves.

Morriscey said that after Lombardi learned the victim couldn’t cash the cheques, he got the man to go for a walk and offered him $100 to deposit them.

The court heard the cheques belonged to someone else and it wasn’t determined how Lombardi got them.

Morriscey told the court Lombardi had the victim deposit multiple cheques, each for several hundred dollars.

Each time, Lombardi had the man take out $100, which was his withdrawal limit, the court heard.

In total, $400 was withdrawn and Morriscey said Lombardi didn’t pay the victim the $100 he promised for cashing the cheques.

Morriscey told the court the public guardian seized the victim’s bank account after the incident because the man wasn’t able to take care of his own finances.

Defence lawyer Alex Dalton said that on the day of the offence, Lombardi was homeless and living in a car.

Dalton said Lombardi is on Suboxone, and his main issue is addiction.

The court heard Lombardi has been living in Lennon House since November and had a positive report from there.

Dalton said the concern is that putting Lombardi in jail would defeat any progress he has made.

Lombardi addressed the court before hearing his sentence, saying he was sorry and he accepted the consequences of his actions.

In sentencing Lombardi, Lantz referred to his record, which included multiple convictions for fraud and uttering a forged document.

“The record speaks for itself,” Lantz said.

Lantz also said that despite being told the victim couldn’t cash a cheque, Lombardi took him to a bank.

“He took advantage of a vulnerable victim.”

Short custodial sentences in the past haven’t had any effect on Lombardi, Lantz said, adding that the protection of the public was necessary.

“The record speaks for itself.”

Chief Judge Jeff Lantz