The fraud trial for a suspended Ontario lawyer ping-ponged back and forth Tuesday on whether TD Bank had suffered any harm or risk of loss as a result of a bad cheque the lawyer wrote.
Nicholas Cartel, a class-action and litigation specialist, is on trial on a single count of fraud over $5,000 relating to a $300,000 personal cheque he wrote in 2023, which prosecutors allege was done to help cover up the financial collapse of his and his wife’s law firm. That cheque bounced five days after being deposited into a TD bank account belonging to the law firm.
In the second day of testimony in provincial court in Toronto, a witness representing TD was grilled by both the defence and prosecution about what harm, if any, the bank incurred as a result. Proving fraud under the Criminal Code requires proving that someone either suffered a loss or was exposed to a risk of economic deprivation.
CLICK HERE to read the FULL Lawyer accused of fraud says bad cheque didn't hurt the bank | CBC News article.
These frauds exploit emotional vulnerability and trust rather than technical weaknesses.
- Romance Scams: Scammers build long-term online relationships with victims, eventually fabricating a “crisis” (medical emergency, legal trouble, or travel costs) that requires the victim to send money.
- Pig Butchering: A hybrid scam where the criminal builds a romantic or platonic relationship to eventually “tutor” the victim in a fraudulent cryptocurrency investment.