By Trevor Greenway
editor@lowdownonline.com
An MRC des Collines Police officer, who leaked information about a search and seizure operation the night before a raid, is being sued for $1 million, along with her police force.
Lawyers on behalf of the plaintiffs argue that the botched search allowed a Chelsea resident to destroy evidence.
MRC des Collines Police and agent Christel Lanthier are both named in the suit after Lanthier allegedly sent a text message on March 19, 2023 to Chelsea resident Christian Bordeleau, the subject of a search and seizure, alerting him that cops were coming to raid his home on Chemin du Manoir the next day, according to court documents
The search was in connection with a $1.7 million fraud allegation.
“Indeed, on March 19 at 7:42 p.m., defendant Lanthier transmitted the following text message directly to Bordeleau, the subject of the orders that would be executed the next day,” the statement of claim reads. Alexandre Cayer is the lawyer representing Nikolaï Guillemette-Ray and Joël Lavoie of the real estate training business MREX, the two Quebec City businessmen who filed the lawsuit.
According to court documents obtained by the Low Down, the text message sent by Lanthier to Bordeleau read: “I’m Lieutenant Christel Lanthier and I’ll be in charge of your search tomorrow. My colleague Lieutenant Josée Forget is in charge tonight, and she’ll be in charge of dispatching the agents tomorrow morning. You can reach us at this number or directly at the MRC des Collines Police Station at 819-459-9911.” It’s important to note that the text message was addressed to bailiff Yvan Martimbault.
Guillemette-Ray and Lavoie allege that their former business partner Bordeleau stole $1.7 million from the company. The allegations are based on a salary dispute, where Bordeleau says his salary was $278,000 and MREX claims it was $104,000.
Guillemette-Ray and Lavoie obtained a series of court orders in March 2023 allowing the seizure of all bank accounts, computer devices and real estate assets of Bordeleau.
Lawyers for MREX argue that because Bordeleau was alerted of the search, it would have given him time to prepare, “notably by destroying documents and electronic exchanges.”
According to the judgment on the search and seizure orders, bailiff Martimbault testified that Bordeleau did destroy evidence.
“The bailiff testifies that his technician informed him that several documents were destroyed in the hours leading up to the execution of the judgment,” reads the March 23, 2023, judgement. “The information leak also enabled Bordeleau to erase all his call and text-message histories from his cellphone prior to the search on March 20, 2023 and to conceal certain pieces of evidence.”
Court records show that, according to Martimbault, who was in charge of the search, a computer technician found the text exchange between Lanthier and Bordeleau. Martimbault said under oath that he never gave Bordeleau’s number to police, noting that Lanthier would have had to “find” Bordeleau’s number to communicate with him.
“Thus, it is obvious that additional steps had to be taken by defendant Lanthier to obtain Bordeleau’s telephone number, which is unknown to the plaintiffs to this day, unless the defendant Lanthier already had Bordeleau’s telephone number, and Bordeleau ‘boasted’ that he had friends in the police force,” the lawsuit reads. “The plaintiffs really question whether it was a case of gross negligence on Lanthier’s part, or whether she consciously and voluntarily caused the ‘search’ to fail.”
MRC des Collines Police wouldn’t comment on the specific file, but according to La Presse, Lanthier was disciplined following an internal investigation but ultimately exonerated for her misconduct.
The Montreal daily reports that Lanthier maintains she has no link to Bordeleau and asserts that the leak was not intentional.
According to their statements of defence, both Lanthier and MRC des Collines Police say they will contest the lawsuit. A judge is expected to render a decision by June; however, Justice Judith Harvie noted in her search and seizure judgment that “there is a reason to conclude that there is the real possibility of destruction of evidence.”
‘I don’t know her’
During a sit-down interview with Bordeleau on March 24, the Chelsea resident said that he’s never met Lanthier before and has no idea why she texted him.
“I don’t know her. Never heard her name before. Never seen her,” said Bordeleau. “She didn’t send me the [search] order. I didn’t do anything. I had no idea. I would have put my firearm in the safe to avoid any drama.”
Bordeleau said that when he received the text message from Lanthier, he thought it was regarding a Kubota tractor, which was being seized for non-payments. He also said that he didn’t destroy any evidence.
“At the time, I didn’t know that they had a court order for a preventive seizure,” he told the Low Down. “Until you get notified of that, how can you know? So, the only thing that I thought at the time was that they were coming for the tractor.”
But lawyers for Guillemette-Ray and Lavoie argue that he was notified by Officer Lanthier, which allowed him enough time to destroy documents and hide evidence.
Police discovered an assault-style rifle in Bordeleau’s Chelsea basement. He’s been charged for negligent storage of a firearm due to an improper trigger lock. He pleaded not guilty to that charge and said he has a permit for the gun and shoots it recreationally at a local gun range.
Judge orders return of RV, other items
In an April 2024 decision, a Quebec judge ordered the return of some of Bordeleau’s items, notably an RV that was seized during the search at his Chelsea home. Bordeleau’s lawyers argued that the search and seizure order was approved on false affidavits and they won a series of judgments on the search order. Bordeleau says he has since had his RV bike, barbecue, patio and beach chairs, tables and Apple Watch returned.
The MRC des Collines regional government, which funds the local police force, wouldn’t comment on the specific case because it’s before the courts.
“Please be assured that we are closely monitoring the situation and taking all necessary measures to ensure the safety of our citizens,” an MRC statement read. “We are acting diligently and are continually reviewing our processes to take appropriate measures where necessary.”
