Sentencing decision involving two offenders who pleaded guilty to charging a criminal interest rate and extortion arising from a long‑running loan‑sharking operation.
The offenders charged borrowers an effective annual interest rate of approximately 520% and used threats and violence to collect payments.
The court considered denunciation and deterrence under s. 718 of the Criminal Code but found that conditional sentences remained legally available due to the timing of the offences.
Despite significant aggravating factors, including exploitation of vulnerable borrowers and organized criminal activity, the court imposed conditional sentences given the offenders’ guilty pleas, lack of prior criminal records, restitution, and other mitigating circumstances.
Conditional sentence orders, restitution, forfeiture, fines, probation, and ancillary orders were imposed.
