Former construction boss Tony Accurso sentenced to 4 years in prison

Former construction boss Tony Accurso, who was found guilty on all five counts in his Laval fraud and corruption trial last week, has been sentenced to serve four years in prison. 

The sentence came down at the Laval courthouse Thursday morning. Accurso will serve time, but he will not have to reimburse the City of Laval for any damages.

His lawyer, Marc Labelle, told reporters outside the courtroom that his team is already working on an appeal of the verdict and the sentence. He said he expects to present it to the court by next Tuesday.

"As I'm speaking to you, people in my office are in the midst of doing this," he said.

Philippe-Pierre Langevin, the crown prosecutor, said he was satisfied with the sentence.

"The arguments made to [Superior Court Justice James] Brunton were largely heard, so we are pleased," Langevin said.

Accurso was accused of being part of a system of corruption that eliminated all competition for municipal contracts in Laval between 1996 and 2010.

In his arguments before Brunton, Labelle asked for a conditional sentence of 18 to 24 months.

Labelle said the system of corruption in place in Laval was not something Accurso orchestrated.

The prosecution argued that Accurso should receive a sentence of five years in prison and should be ordered to pay damages of up to $1.6 million.

Crown prosecutor Richard Rougeau said it is difficult to determine the exact amount the system of corruption cost Laval, but he says there was, at a very minimum, a loss of $1.6 million.