Posted on: December 12, 2023, 02:15h.
Last updated on: December 12, 2023, 02:15h.
The former Deputy Attorney General of the Canadian province of New Brunswick stole $481,148 from his clients while serving as a private lawyer. Find out what led to this devastating scandal and the legal fallout that followed.
Yassin Choukri served as deputy AG from 2003 until 2006 when he was displaced by the election of a new provincial administration. Get the inside scoop on Choukri’s legal battles and why they led to his downfall, including his involvement with gambling and financial struggles.
On the Run
Between 2014 and 2016, Choukri gradually withdrew money stolen from his firm’s clients. Learn more about how he schemed to take their money and his use of it for personal gain.
Choukri’s lawyer claimed the stolen money was used for gambling. Find out how his gambling addiction connected to his criminal activity and ultimate arrest.
On September 27, 2016, checks drawn from the trust accounts began to bounce and Choukri disappeared. His wife reported him missing on September 29.
In August 2020, he was tracked down to Mississauga, Ont., where he had established a program for problem gamblers, and arrested.
In October 2023, seven years after going on the lam, Choukri pleaded guilty to a single charge of theft of over $5,000.
‘Cautionary Tale’
Find out what’s next for Choukri after his guilty plea. Will he serve time behind bars, or will there be another turn in this shocking story of betrayal and deceit?
“Unfortunately, it’s not going to be a monetary debt. It’s going to be a period of time in a federal institution.”
The prosecution is not seeking restitution from the defendant because he has no money. All the funds he stole from his clients are gone, Doucette said.
“They belong to the casinos now,” she added.
Choukri’s sentencing is set to take place on December 18. Discover what his fate holds after pleading guilty to embezzlement and the impact it has left on his victims and the legal system.