Leslie Berezowsky woke up just before 7 a.m. last Wednesday because the sound of approaching sirens was getting louder.
She put on the coffee, then peeked out the front window. She said there were seven police cars and an ambulance across the street.
Her neighbour, 43-year old Vimal Iyer, had been shot.
At that point, Berezowsky had no idea of his criminal history.
In August 2016, a jury found Iyer guilty on 33 counts of fraud, following the longest jury trial in Alberta’s history. It took the jury almost a year to hear from dozens of victims who collectively lost millions of dollars in a prolonged, large-scale land deal scam.
On Dec. 2, 2016, Iyer was sentenced to seven years in prison and ordered to pay back $2.4 million to his victims.
Iyer was released from jail 19 days later after filing an appeal on his conviction. The Court of Appeal allowed him to move back to his $700,000 custom-built two-storey home on a quiet, exclusive cul-de-sac in Riverbend.
The house Iyer lived in while free on bail was the scene of the shooting. Police refuse to say if he was shot inside or outside the $700,000 home. (Rod Maldaner/CBC News )
Court of Appeal Justice Sheila Greckol also put the restitution order on hold, pending Iyer’s appeal. Even though Iyer’s been out on bail for almost two years, no date for his appeal has been set.
None of the victims CBC News spoke to were aware Iyer was out of prison.
Most were shocked, but not surprised that he had been shot.
‘I think a lot of people were very angry, very hurt’
Debbie Bilhete and her husband Mario took out a $79,000 loan in 2007 to invest in Iyer’s land deal. She said their lives have never been the same since.
“We will never be able to pay back the loan that we had to take out for this scam,” Bilhete said. “I firmly believe that it contributed to my husband’s illness to where at this point where he’s at home on disability, on oxygen.”
Debbie Bilhete and her husband Mario took out a $79,000 loan in 2007 to invest in Iyer’s land deal (Facebook)
The 58-year-old grandmother said they are forced to rely on her husband’s disability cheque to survive. He requires constant care so she is unable to take a job outside the home.
“We’re not able to go on any holidays,” Bilhete said through her tears. “We couldn’t give my daughter the wedding that she wanted. We couldn’t afford the education that my son wanted for art school.
“It’s not fair. It’s just really, really tough. Because it’s something we have to live with for the rest of our lives.”
Bilhete said she was “not surprised at all” that Iyer was shot by someone because so many people feel so much anger toward him.
“Considering all of the stuff that he put not just my family through, but a lot of other people, I think a lot of people were very angry, very hurt. A lot of people lost a lot of money. Including us.”
Bilhete was taken aback to find out Iyer was not behind bars.
“It makes me feel sick,” she said. “It makes me feel sick in my stomach. Because he’s still out and about and apparently living an okey-dokey life.”
At the time he was sentenced, Court of Queen’s Bench Justice Andrea Moen noted, “There is no evidence that Mr. Iyer was motivated by anything but greed. … He has not demonstrated any remorse for his actions.”
Victim: ‘Is it karma that he was shot? I don’t know’
Seattle-area resident Drew Rillera invested more money with Iyer’s company than anyone else: $121,000 in U.S. dollars.
“It’s been a number of years that this loss has cost my family and friends,” Rillera said in a telephone interview. “It’s very unfortunate. It’s a terrible loss.”
When he found out Iyer had been shot, he said, “You know, my heart just sank. And the reason for that is because he is a father. Even though he did commit some crimes and defraud a number of people for a huge amount of money and probably ruined many people’s lives, he’s still a father.”
Seattle-area resident Drew Rillera invested $121,000 with Iyer on behalf of himself, friends and family. (Facebook )
“Is it karma that he was shot? “I don’t know,” Rillera wondered aloud.
“I’m sure that he’s ruined a number of lives from what he’s done. And it’s just a bad situation all the way around.”
Rillera said he would like to see Iyer lose his appeal and serve his sentence. But he holds out no hope that he will ever get any of his money back.
“The money’s gone,” he said. “It was funnelled away a long time ago. If they knew where it was right now, the Crown would have been able to seize it.”
When Iyer last appeared in court to revise his bail restrictions, he said he was nearly destitute, claiming he had to sell his home to pay his legal fees.
A deluxe motorhome in the back yard of the house Iyer lives in. (Rod Maldaner/CBC News )
A land title search reveals the land was transferred to an associate of Iyer’s in March 2018 for $700,000 but Iyer clearly still lives in the house. There is a large motorhome in the backyard but no indication who owns it.
No charges laid yet in shooting
Edmonton police are being very tight-lipped about the investigation into Iyer’s shooting and have refused to identify the victim. CBC has confirmed that information independently from reliable sources.
Spokesperson Cheryl Voordenhout said, “Police do not believe this is a random occurrence.” She would not reveal if the shooting had occurred inside or outside the house, “as it remains under investigation.”
Voordenhout said police responded to the same house once before this year but she did not provide details.
As Iyer continues to recover in hospital, at least one of his victims hopes he’ll survive.
“I wouldn’t wish anybody dead,” Debbie Bilhete said.
“I would wish that he would just try to have some conscience and try to make things right with people.
“But I don’t expect that to happen,” she added.