Former New Brunswick deputy attorney general faces jail for gambling that wiped out clients' money
The former deputy attorney general of the Canadian province of New Brunswick stole $481,148 from clients while working as a private lawyer. Now, Crown prosecutors in Moncton, Nova Scotia, are seeking a three-year prison sentence for a former prosecutor who fled the province for looting client accounts.
Yassin Choukri served as New Brunswick's deputy attorney general from 2003 to 2006, when he was ousted during the new provincial government election. In 2010, he was appointed as a public intervenor for provincial Energy and Utilities Commission hearings.
But while he was away from government and back in private practice in Fredericton, New Brunswick's capital, Choukri developed a gambling addiction. This resulted in severe financial difficulties, prosecutors explained in court on Friday.
Between 2014 and 2016, Choukri gradually withdrew thousands of dollars in installments from clients' escrow accounts.
RUNNING
According to prosecutors, the money was primarily used to pay off credit card debt and a cash advance for the New Brunswick Casino in Moncton.
Choukri's attorney said he primarily plays poker. The Hendon Mob database lists a Canadian player of the same name from Fredericton who won $11,987 in three tournaments between 2013 and 2014.
On September 27, 2016, checks drawn from the trust account began to clear and Choukri disappeared. On September 29, his wife reported him missing.
He was arrested in August 2020 after setting up a program for problem gamblers in Mississauga, Ont.
In October 2023, seven years after escaping from prison, Choukri pleaded guilty to one count of theft over $5,000.
"Warning Example"
Choukri told the court on Friday he was "ashamed" of what had happened. He spoke in French and apologized to his family, former clients, the legal community and the justice system, CBC News reported.
"This is a cautionary tale," prosecutor Vicki Doucet told reporters. "This is a gambling addiction. It shows how high a person can reach and how low he can fall. He is now a man living with his mother... now he has to repay his debt to society. Unfortunately Yes, it won't be a monetary debt. It will be time spent in a federal agency."
Since the defendant had no money, the prosecutor's office did not require the defendant to compensate. Doucet said all the funds he stole from his clients disappeared.
“They are part of the casino now,” she added.
Choukri will be sentenced on December 18.
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Source: www.casino.org
