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An Alberta woman forced into bankruptcy after taking out loans to help her alleged boyfriend fight a bogus impaired driving charge wept in court as she recounted his betrayal.
Anthony Renella-Dugas was sentenced to 21 days in jail Oct. 24 after pleading guilty to a charge of fraud over $5,000. The 30-year-old was in custody on a separate matter and was released the same day on time served.
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Court heard Renella-Dugas defrauded a woman he met on dating site out of $10,925, which he has been given a year to repay. Edmonton Court of King’s Bench Justice Nathan Whitling accepted a joint sentencing submission from Crown and defence, finding Renella-Dugas engaged in “multiple transactions and multiple lies.”
Renella-Dugas sat in the prisoner’s box wearing orange correctional system coveralls. He has what appeared to be a tattoo of a lipstick stain on his neck.
According to an agreed statement of facts, Renella-Dugas and the woman met on Plenty of Fish in June 2019. After chatting back and forth, Renella-Dugas told the woman he had been charged with impaired driving while travelling to meet her in person and needed money to pay his ticket. He claimed he was frozen out of his bank accounts.
The two later met in person. In a victim impact statement, the woman said Renella-Dugas “flattered” her, told her he loved her and that he wanted to start a family. However, he frequently requested money to help resolve the alleged impaired driving charge, which in reality never existed. The woman ultimately took out five different loans, some from high-interest payday providers.
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Renella-Dugas claimed he would repay the woman but eventually stopped responding to her. The woman later became insolvent and declared personal bankruptcy.
Brett Grierson, the Crown prosecutor, said Renella-Dugas deserved jail time for abusing what appeared to be a romantic relationship. He noted Renella-Dugas has a previous 2015 conviction for fraud, for which he served probation, in addition to previous breaches of release orders.
Renella-Dugas was later convicted of taxi fare fraud and sentenced to a week in jail.
Grierson said the accused nevertheless deserved credit for his guilty plea, which saved the time and resources of a trial.
Defence lawyer Sunny Anuebunwa said his client is addicted to drugs and alcohol and will be taken straight to a residential treatment program following his release.
Whitling ultimately accepted the Crown and defence submission, noting case law dictates joint submissions be given significant consideration unless they “bring the administration of justice into disrepute.”
Edmonton police charged Renella-Dugas with separate fraud offences last November after receiving “at least 12 reports” of e-transfer fraud. Court records do not make clear the outcome of those charges.
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