M.B. woke up from a night of drinking, and noticed over 10,000$ missing from his credit card.  He reported the theft, only to later figure out that he spent the money online gambling and losing the money.  Celine successfully spared her client a criminal record, by convincing the Judge that her client had learned from his mistake.

Farm equipment was bought and sold under false name. The seller never received payment after the equipment was taken away. C.D. was charged because police believed he was the one who organized the fraudulent sale. All charges were dropped.

E.G.P. stole from her employer. After she quit her job, the employer investigated into her habits, and she was charged with fraud. Celine was able to convince the judge that her client should only receive a discharge. The Judge warned E.G.P. that a discharge is a very odd position in such a breach of trust, but agreed to impose it in that case.

While M.B. was depressed, she met a man online who immediately took advantage of her vulnerability. M.B. took money from her employer, and sent it to the man.  In total, she took more than $40,000.  M.B. was convicted of fraud.  The Crown wanted M.B. to spend a year in jail, in order to learn from her mistake.  But Celine convinced the judge that her client was already remorseful, and more good would come from house arrest, where she could return the funds, instead of sending her client to jail.

S.S. took more than $30,000 from their employer, by writing false paychecks, and was charged with Fraud and Uttering forged documents in Ottawa.  Crown described those actions as huge breaches of trust, and wanted S.S. to spend at least 9 months in jail for the fraud.  Celine successfully convinced the judge to sentence her client to house arrest, giving S.S. time to repay the funds taken.

TC is a single father, struggling to earn enough money to take care of his child. Someone he knew approached him, and offered him money if he agreed to sign a lease of a vehicle with false ID. TC was charged with personation, fraud over $5,000 and theft over $5,000. Celine convinced the judge that a jail sentence was not appropriate in TC’s case, and TC was sentenced only to probation.

C.C. took over 30,000$ from her employer and was charged with fraud and criminal breach of trust.  After completing extensive rehabilitation and repaying the entire amount, Celine convinced the judge that her client should not receive a criminal record.  C.C. was sentenced to a conditional discharge, saving her from a conviction.

M.L. was charged with numerous white collar crimes, including fraud, forgery, of a total of more than 4 million dollars.  The Crown wanted to lock M.L. up for 4 years, but Celine expertly argued on behalf of her client, who was sentenced to 18 months jail, and was ordered to repay a much lower sum to only 2 complainants.

The COVID-19 pandemic has caused numerous disruptions in everyday life. For L.B., he was not able to go visit his girlfriend in Canada due to the border closures. L.B. was desperate and decided to fake a letter of employment so he could cross the border. Border Guards found the false documents, and he was charged with uttering forged documents. Celine convinced the Court to sentence her client to an absolute discharge, ensuring that L.B. does not have a criminal record.

C.M. worked in a large retail location with his partner, and was in charge of security. Over $20,000 went missing from the company, and they suspected C.M. The company interviewed C.M., and persuaded him to admit to the theft so that his partner could keep his job. Although he admitted taking the money during the interview, and even wrote a statement to that effect, Céline worked tirelessly to uncover inconsistencies in the case. With those inconsistencies, she was able to convince the judge that C.M’s admission was not reliable. The charges were dropped by the Crown.

As the power of attorney for his grandmother, R.H. paid himself over $300,000 from her account. R.H. was charged with fraud and the Crown was seeking jail time for many years. Céline’s arguments resulted in the judge agreeing to put R.H. under house arrest.

J.B. was accused of unlocking the warehouse door where he worked, allowing thieves to enter and steal thousands of dollars worth of merchandise. A video surveillance tape captured an individual, identified as J.B. by his boss, allowing thieves to enter the warehouse. J.B. was acquitted because Céline Dostaler was able to convince the judge that he was not the person unlocking the door in the security video.