{"id":817801,"date":"2026-07-22T04:03:16","date_gmt":"2026-07-22T04:03:16","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/817801\/"},"modified":"2026-07-22T04:03:16","modified_gmt":"2026-07-22T04:03:16","slug":"montreal-man-pleads-guilty-after-making-victims-sign-fraudulent-leases","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/817801\/","title":{"rendered":"Montreal man pleads guilty after making victims sign fraudulent leases"},"content":{"rendered":"

A man has pleaded guilty to a complex housing fraud scheme that left some victims homeless in\u00a0Montreal\u00a0after posing as a landlord.<\/p>\n

Van Lanh Vuong, 45, admitted to collecting $37,460 from 24 victims in\u00a0Montreal\u00a0between April 17, 2024 and July 11, 2024.<\/p>\n

He would contact his victims online and make them sign leases for apartments they\u2019d never live in.<\/p>\n

Isaac Nyembo was one of the victims who shared his story during the trial.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s the worst thing that\u2019s ever happened to me,\u201d he wrote in his victim impact statement.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Nyembo said that he worked part-time at minimum wage, which he disclosed to Vuong. He agreed to pay two months\u2019 rent as a deposit.\u00a0<\/p>\n

By the time Nyembo realized he had been scammed, he only had $200 to his name, he said in his statement.<\/p>\n

With nowhere to go after his lease ended, Nyembo said he slept outside a cinema before spending a month at a homeless shelter. He described having suicidal ideation as a result.<\/p>\n

According to court documents, Vuong would use a fake name and offer his victims an apartment at a reasonable price.<\/p>\n

He would give them a tour and ask for a deposit equivalent to a month or two of rent.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Vuong used five apartments, including three he had rented, a neighbour\u2019s address and a fifth unit he had \u201cno right to be in,\u201d according to court documents.<\/p>\n

The victims didn\u2019t know they were scammed until moving day, or after they were unable to reach Vuong when it was time for him to hand them the keys.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Emilie Ouellet said she was vulnerable after a separation when she met Vuong. She had recently returned to work and was saving up to move back to\u00a0Montreal\u00a0from Terrebonne, Que., and regain shared custody of her son.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cI really feel like he took advantage of that at the time. He abused my trust and made me all kinds of promises,\u201d she wrote.\u00a0<\/p>\n

When she texted Vuong to pick up the keys to her new apartment, he admitted to scamming her.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cI gave you a fake lease\u2014you don\u2019t have the right address or the name of the property owner. I\u2019ve already left and gone back to Toronto. Thank you,\u201d Vuong said in the text message cited in court documents.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Ouellet said she was scammed out of $1,800.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cJust as I was getting my life back on track!\u201d she wrote.<\/p>\n

Vuong was arrested in Quebec City in July 2024.\u00a0<\/p>\n

His case is expected to return to Quebec court before Judge Jean-Jacques Gagn\u00e9 on Oct. 21 for sentencing arguments.<\/p>\n

\t\tKeep it Factual<\/p>\n

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