REGINA — A judge has sentenced Lloyd Koupeh Andrews to almost a year in jail for masterminding two sophisticated “white money” scams that targeted a rural farmer and Regina car wash owners over a decade ago.
Justice Beverly L. Klatt of Regina Court of King’s Bench rejected the defence’s request for a conditional sentence to be served in the community.
"Only a custodial sentence would give effect to the sentencing principles and objectives set out in the Criminal Code," said Justice Klatt in her Dec. 5 written decision.
Andrews, 45, was convicted in June on two counts of attempted fraud over $5,000, along with failing to attend court and breaching his bail conditions.
The scams
According to court documents, the first target was a farmer near Milestone trying to sell a combine for $92,500. Court heard Andrews and an accomplice returned with a pack of white paper, claiming it was $100,000. They demonstrated with a special light and a chemical, appearing to turn the paper into multiple $100 bills to prove their “currency” was real.
The second attempt involved the co-owners of a Regina car wash. Andrews and his partner offered $2 million for the business, saying they wanted Canadian citizenship and buying the business would make it happen faster.
Days later, they said their millions in cash from Haiti had to be chemically treated to become legal tender. In an elaborate show, they used a victim’s $20 bill in a fake chemical process inside a tri-fold pamphlet, later producing what appeared to be several legitimate bills.
Court documents reveal that the farmer and car wash owners became suspicious and contacted police before they lost any money.
Flight from justice
Andrews was initially arrested in August 2012 but was released on bail. He failed to appear in court in February 2015. A warrant was issued by the court but Andrews wasn’t arrested until May 2023.
The Crown presented evidence to the court that Andrews knew about the warrant but spent years abroad, travelling to Ghana, France, Belgium, Thailand, and Germany.
Immigration concerns not enough to reduce sentence
At his sentencing hearing, Andrews’ lawyer argued that a sentence longer than six months could trigger immigration consequences such as deportation under the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act.
Justice Klatt said she considered this “collateral consequence” but said the sentence must be proportionate to the gravity of Andrews’ offences.
“If reducing a sentence to minimize the impact of collateral immigration consequences results in an unfit or disproportionate sentence, then it would be inappropriate to do so.
“I am sympathetic to Mr. Andrews for his experiences when the civil war broke out in his home country, and for his separation from family," she added. "I have also considered the potential impact that a custodial sentence might have on his immigration status. However, the extensive planning and sophistication of the scams are a weighty consideration. I cannot help but observe that Mr. Andrews must have done his homework on who potential targets might be. The first victim was found farming near Milestone, Saskatchewan; the car wash proprietors were in Regina, Saskatchewan. These did not appear to be off-chance encounters.”
Andrews doesn’t have a criminal record and has a difficult history after fleeing the Liberian civil war, but Justice Klatt said Andrews showed “no sign of remorse,” and “little insight into his offending.”
The sentence
Justice Klatt imposed a four-month sentence for each attempted fraud, to be served consecutively for a total of eight months. A further four-month consecutive sentence was added for failing to attend court in 2015. A two-month concurrent sentence was added for breaching bail conditions.
With credit for 45 days already spent in pre-trial custody, Andrews has 295 days to serve, or just under 10 months.
ljoy@sasktoday.ca
