Quebec Administrator and Accomplices Guilty of Tax Evasion

MONTRÉAL, Feb. 4, 2026 /CNW/ - The Canada Revenue Agency (CRA) announced today that Gaétan Desbiens, of Saint-Augustin-de-Desmaures, administrator and shareholder for Cade Groupe Conseil inc., and consultant Claude Genest, of Longueuil, pleaded guilty on January 9, 2026, at the Longueuil Courthouse, to criminal charges under the Income Tax Act of willfully, in any manner, evading or attempting to evade the payment of taxes of Cade Groupe Conseil inc.

Jessy Savaria, a chartered professional accountant (CPA) from Granby, also pleaded guilty during the same cause to charges of using or transmitting documents that he knew or believed to be counterfeit, knowing that an offence would be committed, under the Criminal Code.

Mr. Desbiens was sentenced to a conditional sentence of six months, and was fined $74,450. Mr. Genest was fined $74,450. Mr. Savaria was sentenced to 240 hours of community service, to be completed within 18 months of his conviction.

The CRA investigation revealed that, for the 2012 to 2014 fiscal years, Cade Groupe Conseil inc., through its administrator Mr. Desbiens, declared as deductible expenses payments that in reality represented the repayment of a personal loan contracted by Mr. Desbiens. The investigation also demonstrated that Mr. Desbiens, in collusion with Mr. Savaria and Mr. Genest, fabricated false documents and submitted them during a tax audit by the CRA to justify the expenses claimed.

All case-specific information above was obtained from the court records.

In addition to the court imposed fines and/or jail sentences, convicted taxpayers have to pay the full amount of tax owing, plus related interest and any penalties assessed by the CRA.

The CRA is dedicated to maintaining the integrity of Canada's tax system, thereby contributing to the social and economic well-being of Canadians. The CRA continues to aggressively pursue tax evasion, and false claims with all the tools available to it. The CRA works to make sure that individuals and businesses report all income earned and only claim benefits to which they are entitled, so that important benefit programs can be administered to those who need them. Any individual or business who underreports income, or claims losses or benefits to which they are not entitled may have to repay the benefit amounts and may be subject to other possible action.

The CRA has set up a free subscription service to help Canadians stay current on the CRA's enforcement efforts.

Associated links

Reporting suspected tax or benefit cheating in Canada
Tax evasion, understanding the consequences
Voluntary Disclosures Program

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613-948-8366
[email protected]

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Canada Revenue Agency

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