Montreal Businessman: $2.1M in Cash Seized, Quebec State Seeks Forfeiture
The Quebec Attorney General is seeking civil forfeiture of $2.1 million found in a hidden cache behind a false wall at the home of André Levy, 74.
False Wall, Concealed Weapons and Banknotes Linked to Organised Crime: State Seeks to Recover $2.1M
Two million dollars in cash behind a false wall, firearms concealed in lounge furniture and banknotes traced during a previous drug trafficking investigation: this is what police discovered at the residence of André Levy, a 74-year-old Montreal businessman. According to journaldemontreal.com, the Quebec Attorney General (PGQ) filed a motion with Quebec Superior Court last week to obtain civil forfeiture of these $2.1 million, on the grounds that they would be the proceeds of "illegal activities".
Investigation Triggered by Harassment Complaint
The matter took shape unexpectedly, following a harassment complaint filed last year. A former partner of André Levy had told investigators from the Longueuil Agglomeration Police Service (SPAL) that the man was concealing between 2 and 3 million dollars at his home—a sum so heavy, according to her, that she was unable to lift the bag.
According to the version reported in the PGQ's motion, Levy had also allegedly revealed to her that he had hidden 20 million dollars in the basement of his business, money that would come from sales to the Chinese mafia, settled in cash. He had allegedly also encouraged her to launder money, notably by proposing that she purchase gold bars in her country of origin, and had shown her several weapons.
The Search and its Discoveries
A few days after these statements, SPAL officers attended Levy's residence with a search warrant, located near the Saint-Joseph Oratory. The businessman himself guided the officers to his weapons cache: a lounge piece of furniture acts as a magnetised door providing access to a concealed space. Other weapons were stored in a sofa armrest.
Levy then stated he held $9,400 in a safe deposit box. But the search yielded much more. In the entrance closet, behind a false wall, investigators discovered bundles of banknotes wrapped in black plastic: a haul of two million dollars.
Banknotes Traceable to Project Mastiff
One of the state's central arguments rests on the origin of nine banknotes found among the bundles. These notes had been used in 2014 by undercover agents of the Quebec Provincial Police in the framework of Project Mastiff, a large-scale operation targeting drug trafficking by organised crime in the Hochelaga-Maisonneuve neighbourhood. According to the PGQ, these banknotes had been used in transactions aimed at acquiring narcotics or remunerating members of a criminal organisation.
Three of these banknotes were still in their original order, ten years later, which, according to the PGQ, suggests they were never separated. The elastic bands surrounding the bundles were dry and broke easily, further evidence that the packages dated from that period.
Declared Income Deemed Insufficient to Justify the Sum
The PGQ also argues that André Levy's personal income does not explain the possession of such a sum in cash. Over the past ten years, Levy declared $1.2 million in personal income, whilst his company Nova Essentials—active in the distribution and import-export of natural, organic and homeopathic products—declared $4.4 million in income over the same period.
"The defendant has provided no explanation to justify the origin and possession of the amounts seized," states the PGQ in its motion.
No Criminal Charge, but Civil Battle Underway
It should be noted that holding cash is not illegal in itself. The Director of Criminal and Penal Prosecutions (DPCP) has chosen not to file criminal charges against Levy in connection with this fund. However, the PGQ argues that the method of concealment—a cache behind a false wall—is "consistent with practices observed in criminal circles".
Levy has in turn demanded the return of the money since December last year, presenting himself as the "legitimate owner" of the haul. A judge had in fact ordered the funds be returned to him on 19 December. It is precisely to circumvent this decision that the PGQ is now appealing to Superior Court.
His lawyer, Maître Alexandre Bergevin, stated he is confident of being able to contest "successfully" the PGQ's motion as well as the search warrant, which he deems founded on a "deceitful and nonsensical" denunciation obtained in "a few minutes".
Non-Contact Order Running in Parallel
Alongside this civil matter, André Levy also appeared before criminal court in December last year. Police feared he might target the woman who had reported him. He committed, pursuant to a "section 810" order, not to contact her, not to possess weapons and not to breach the peace for one year.
Source: Google News CA — Québec (FR)