A man has pleaded guilty to a complex housing fraud scheme that left some victims homeless in Montreal after posing as a landlord.
Van Lanh Vuong, 45, admitted to collecting $37,460 from 24 victims in Montreal between April 17, 2024 and July 11, 2024.
He would contact his victims online and make them sign leases for apartments they’d never live in.
Isaac Nyembo was one of the victims who shared his story during the trial.
“It’s the worst thing that’s ever happened to me,” he wrote in his victim impact statement.
Nyembo said that he worked part-time at minimum wage, which he disclosed to Vuong. He agreed to pay two months’ rent as a deposit.
By the time Nyembo realized he had been scammed, he only had $200 to his name, he said in his statement.
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.
According to court documents, Vuong would use a fake name and offer his victims an apartment at a reasonable price.
He would give them a tour and ask for a deposit equivalent to a month or two of rent.
Vuong used five apartments, including three he had rented, a neighbour’s address and a fifth unit he had “no right to be in,” according to court documents.
The victims didn’t 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.
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 Montreal from Terrebonne, Que., and regain shared custody of her son.
“I really feel like he took advantage of that at the time. He abused my trust and made me all kinds of promises,” she wrote.
When she texted Vuong to pick up the keys to her new apartment, he admitted to scamming her.
“I gave you a fake lease—you don’t have the right address or the name of the property owner. I’ve already left and gone back to Toronto. Thank you,” Vuong said in the text message cited in court documents.
Ouellet said she was scammed out of $1,800.
“Just as I was getting my life back on track!” she wrote.
Vuong was arrested in Quebec City in July 2024.
His case is expected to return to Quebec court before Judge Jean-Jacques Gagné on Oct. 21 for sentencing arguments.
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