Sentencing for Ponzi con man delayed so 200 victims can be contacted
Sentencing for the con man behind one of Nova Scotia's biggest ever securities frauds was delayed Thursday in Halifax provincial court.
The Crown says it needs up to four months to contact the 200 victims of Quintin Sponagle to see if they want to make victim impact statements.
Sponagle, who is not in custody, was given more time so he can get a lawyer.
Judge Anne Derrick set potential dates for sentencing in March, April and May, depending on when victim impact statements can be obtained.
In December, Sponagle pleaded guilty to a single charge of fraud over $5,000 in connection to a Ponzi scheme called Jabez Financial he masterminded in 2006. As much as $4 million was taken from investors. Regulators said 137 victims were Nova Scotians.
Sponagle flew to Panama as regulators closed in. He was later arrested in that country and extradited to Canada in 2014.
Crown prosecutor Mark Heerema told the court Thursday there was a mix-up in obtaining victim statements. In this case 200 people have to be contacted, a task Victim Services said could take four months, he said.
Derrick said victims should be heard.
The Crown and Sponagle have made a joint agreement of the facts and a joint recommendation on sentencing, which will be made public when sentencing takes place.
