Montreal man pleads guilty to housing fraud that left 24 victims homeless
Van Lanh Vuong, 45, admitted to collecting $37,460 from 24 victims by posing as a landlord and showing them apartments he rented, broke into, or had no right to lease.
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A Montreal man has pleaded guilty to a complex housing fraud scheme that defrauded 24 victims of more than $37,000 and left some of them sleeping rough.
Van Lanh Vuong, 45, admitted to collecting $37,460 by posing as a landlord between April 17, 2024 and July 11, 2024. He contacted victims online using a fake name, offered apartments at reasonable prices, gave them tours of places he was renting or had illegally accessed, had them sign leases, and collected deposits equivalent to one or two months' rent. When moving day arrived or when it came time to hand over keys, Vuong would vanish or the victims would discover they had been scammed.
According to court documents, Vuong had actually rented three of the apartments, showed one victim a neighbour's apartment without permission, and allegedly broke into a fifth address. One victim, Isaac Nyembo, shared his story during trial. In his victim impact statement, Nyembo said he slept outside a cinema after being scammed and spent a month at a homeless shelter.
Vuong's case is scheduled to return to Quebec court on October 21, 2026 for sentencing arguments.
The facts
How much money did Van Lanh Vuong defraud from his victims?
Van Lanh Vuong collected $37,460 from 24 victims through his housing fraud scheme.
How did Van Lanh Vuong carry out the fraud?
Van Lanh Vuong posed as a landlord, contacted victims online using a fake name, showed them apartments he rented or illegally accessed, had them sign leases, and collected deposits of one or two months' rent before vanishing or being exposed.
When will Van Lanh Vuong be sentenced?
Van Lanh Vuong's case is scheduled to return to Quebec court on October 21, 2026 for sentencing arguments.
