| Normand Descoteaux |
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| Normand Descoteaux was born in the late 1940s. As a youngster, he dreamt of becoming a professional hockey player. Through hard work and determination, he eventually became a star player for the Montreal Junior Canadiens, before playing briefly for the Quebec Nordiques. When his hockey career didn't go as planned, Descoteaux tried another trade. He became a shylock, loaning out money for high-rates of interest, sometimes as much as five percent a week. The racket would make him a millionaire and, over the years, he would become close to several influential underworld figures, including Robert "Bob" Savard, another major Montreal loanshark, and Hells Angels leader Maurice "Mom" Boucher. On the morning of July 7, 2000, Descoteaux met with "Bob" Savard at a Montreal restaurant. As the two talked at a table, a masked gunman entered the establishment. |
The assassin approached their table and gunned down Savard. He then turned his weapon on Descoteaux, who grabbed a waitress and used her as a human shield. Shots were fired, hitting the innocent woman three times in a leg and once in an arm. Descoteaux received minor injuries and the gunman escaped. Helene Brunet, the waitress that Descoteaux used as a shield, would suffer permanent injuries from the incident and would sue him and Hells Angel Maurice "Mom" Boucher for $500,000, claiming that they are responsible for her injuries. Descoteaux, his son Stéphane, and Daniel Desruisseaux were charged with 13 counts relative to loansharking on May 9, 2001. When Descoteaux, the alleged leader of the operation was arrested, police found a loaded firearm in his possession. Police seized $2.8 million from a safe in a bank and another $1.7 million from a residence. The money, authorities said, belonged to Descoteaux. According to police, the loansharking network was based out of the east-end of Montreal and had about $3 million circulating on the streets. Descoteaux and his henchmen made about $57,000 a week from loans ranging in size from $2,000 to $50,000. A list of their clients, containing 82 names, was also seized. On October 10, 2001, Descoteaux, his son, and Desruisseaux pleaded guilty to extorting money from at least four people since January 2000. He was sentenced to six months in prison. His son was sentenced to a year of supervised release, while Desruisseaux was immediately let go, having spent 42 days in prison. Descoteaux also had to relinquish all but $400,000 of the $4.5 million that police seized at the time of his arrest. The proof against the threesome was almost air tight. Three of the group's loanshark clients, a trucker and his two sons, had worn wires when meeting with the suspects. Prosecutor Jean-Pierre St-Jean explained that the reason he did not seek more serious prison sentences was because there was no proof that the suspects used threats to collect their payments. |