Ex-lawyer pleads guilty to fraud

Former Rockland, Ont., lawyer Stéphane Langlois has pleaded guilty to charges of fraud ahead of a trial that was set to begin Monday. 

Langlois was charged with four counts of fraud over $5,000 and eight other counts of uttering, possessing or trafficking in a forged document. He pleaded guilty to all 12 charges. 

His trial was scheduled to begin Monday morning, but lawyers on both sides asked Ontario Superior Court Justice Alexandre Kaufman for time to continue their discussions.

Christian Deslauriers, Langlois's lawyer, said his client pleaded guilty because he recognized the Crown had a strong case and he hopes to receive a lighter sentence.

"For him to recognize his guilt this morning I think is to the advantage of the judicial system, the victims, and to his advantage somehow as well," Deslauriers told Radio-Canada outside the courthouse Monday. "Because when you plead guilty, you get a lesser sentence if you recognize your guilt before as opposed to after a painful trial using judicial resources."

Lawyers also reached an agreement on a proposed sentence of six years in prison. The judge will have to decide whether or not to accept the joint submission. 

Langlois was disbarred in 2021 after more than $3 million disappeared from trust funds in 2016.

Associates at the firm Charron Langlois LLP in Rockland made formal complaints to the law society against Langlois. The OPP then investigated, leading to charges in 2022.

Rockland is part of the City of Clarence-Rockland and is located about 30 kilometres east of downtown Ottawa.