Six-year prison sentence for former B.C. notary who masterminded ‘massive fraud’
VANCOUVER — A judge who sentenced a former British Columbia notary to six years in prison says she abused her position of trust by luring people into a Ponzi scheme that defrauded investors of millions of dollars and destabilized Canada’s capital markets.
“She knew exactly what she was doing and went forward with her eyes wide open,” provincial court judge Gregory Rideout said Wednesday, moments before Rashida Samji was led away in handcuffs.
Rideout said it was “startling” that Samji took advantage of a family member among the investors she bilked and even recruited a financial adviser to enlist investors who were customers at the Coast Capital Savings credit union.
Samji, 63, pleaded guilty in May to 28 counts of fraud and theft but 14 counts of theft were stayed.