Faubourg Mena'Sen: A Sherbrooke Lawyer at the Centre of an Alleged $19M Fraud

The Faubourg Mena'Sen originally belonged to the NPO known as La cité des retraités, administered by the five individuals. According to UPAC, they allegedly engineered a series of legal maneuvers to pocket the proceeds of the sale. First, the NPO was renamed "Orientation éphémère" — meaning "Ephemeral Direction."

The organization's founding charter was then amended to remove the standard obligation of transferring remaining assets to a similar organization upon dissolution. Once restructured, the NPO was dissolved, allowing the five administrators to divide the 19-million-dollar sale proceeds among themselves. The alleged offences are said to have taken place between June 2018 and June 2022.

It is worth noting that the Quebec Court of Appeal had already upheld, in October 2025, a Superior Court ruling annulling the NPO's dissolution. That civil decision, secured by tenants' lawyer Me Louis Fortier, foreshadowed the criminal arrests that followed.

"This is not something you see every day. We seized a large number of documents at the outset and had to analyze them over an extended period of time. I would say it took just over two years. We have now reached the finish line with five arrest warrants. For us, this is a success."— Maxime Tremblay, Deputy Director of Investigations, Quebec Anti-Corruption Commissioner

Assets seized, accounts frozen

The investigation mobilized more than fifty police officers across several forces, including the Sherbrooke Police Service, over a period of more than two years. Following the arrests, authorities ordered the freezing of 57 bank or investment accounts and seized four properties and three vehicles belonging to 25 individuals, companies, or trusts believed to have benefited from the fraudulent transaction.

Enforcement measures ordered by authorities

• 57 bank or investment accounts frozen
• 4 properties seized
• 3 vehicles seized
• 25 individuals, companies, or trusts targeted

The Quebec Bar steps in

The case has taken on an additional disciplinary dimension involving Me Serge Dubois. In February 2026, the Quebec Bar's syndic office filed a motion seeking to suspend or restrict his right to practise law. The disciplinary file was brought before the discipline council, where both parties were heard for the first time before the hearing was adjourned to a later date.

Me Dubois is represented by lawyer Giuseppe Battista. The Bar has maintained its duty of confidentiality, declining to confirm whether the disciplinary proceedings are directly connected to the Faubourg Mena'Sen case.

At the discipline council hearing, held virtually before approximately thirty attendees, the deputy syndic indicated his intention to seek a provisional suspension or restriction of Me Dubois's right to practise. The next criminal court appearance for all five accused is scheduled for February 20, 2026.

Charges yet to be proven in court

The five men had previously acknowledged having taken the proceeds of the sale, while maintaining that they had acted in compliance with applicable regulations. Released on a promise to appear, they face fraud charges exceeding $5,000. All five have entered not-guilty pleas.

This case highlights the serious legal and professional risks faced by members of the legal profession when their role in questionable financial transactions comes under scrutiny — both in criminal court and before the Quebec Bar's disciplinary bodies.

Editorial note: In accordance with the presumption of innocence, the alleged facts have not yet been established before a court of law. All accused persons are presumed innocent until proven guilty.