B.C. teen who lost family in Lapu Lapu Day tragedy donates $226K from GoFundMe page to other victims
Article content
A B.C. teen who lost his parents and sister in the attack during the Lapu Lapu Day festival in Vancouver last Saturday has donated $226,000 raised from a GoFundMe page to other victims.
Article content
Article content
Andy Le, 16, lost his father Richard Le, 47, stepmom Linh Hoang, 30, and sister Katie Le, 5, after a driver allegedly rammed his SUV into the festival crowd, killing 11 people.
Article content
The annual event celebrates Filipino culture. Le was not there because he had decided to stay home to do his homework.
Article content
The GoFundMe page was set up to help raise money for Andy, the only surviving family member.
Article content
In a YouTube clip shared on the fundraising page, which has raised over $392,800, Andy said, 'I would like to thank everyone who has donated to my GoFundMe campaign and from the bottom of my heart, thank you all so much…I truly appreciate each and every one of you, and I know that many other families are hurting too, which is why I'd like to donate $266,000 to other victims from my GoFundMe campaign.'
Article content
Article content
Article content
'I want to continue living with my grandparents, who (have) helped raise me, and truly love me. Thank you all so much for your support,' he added.
Article content
Article content
Toan Le — who set up the GoFundMe page — confirmed to CBC Vancouver that his sibling Richard (Andy's father), Linh and Katie died in the attack. '(Andy's) entire life just changed overnight,' Toan said.
Article content
Katie, who had just finished pre-school, was the youngest confirmed victim who died in the attack. 'She was the life of the party. She was always so cheerful, happy. She always wants to play with her cousins,' Toan told the CBC. 'We're going to miss her so much.'
Article content
Paying tribute to Richard Le, Toan wrote on the GoFundMe page that his brother 'was a dedicated father, badminton and tennis coach and real estate professional. He devoted his life to teaching young people the values of sportsmanship and team spirit. He served his community and clients with pride and always went out of his way to help others.'
Article content
He also wrote that Andy's stepmother 'was known for her kindness and gentle spirit. She had been planning a visit to see her family in Vietnam.'
Article content
Article content
Vancouver Police arrested Kai-Ji Adam Lo, 30, at the scene of the incident on Saturday. He was charged with eight counts of second-degree murder, though police later said they anticipate additional charges will be laid in the coming days or weeks.
Article content
Article content
New donations on the GoFundMe page for Andy were disabled after raising $542,646. An update on the page says its intention was 'to raise money to cover the funeral costs for Linh, Richard and Katie as well as to help pay for Andy's education because he lost his dad who was the sole provider of the family and who was going to pay for his university costs … Once all costs related to this matter are accounted for, the remaining balance of the money will be donated to charity.'
Article content
Meanwhile, both GoFundMe and the Philippine Consulate General in Vancouver have been warning of fraudulent fundraising efforts by some people to make money off the tragedy by soliciting funds. The Consulate General said it found campaigns claiming to raise money for victims' families using an image of the consulate's 'official message,' but it has not created or sanctioned any fundraising efforts.
Article content
GoFundMe created a hub of verified fundraisers, for the victims. The B.C. government declared Friday, May 2 the provincial day of remembrance and mourning for the victims of the attack.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Ottawa Citizen
3 hours ago
- Ottawa Citizen
BMW seized from Montreal gangster in Kamloops linked to sex trafficking
The B.C. government wants to keep a 2018 BMW seized from a Montreal gangster linked to a murder plot and sex trafficking. Article content Pierre-André Baptiste was arrested by the Combined Forces Special Enforcement Unit in December in Kamloops, according to a lawsuit filed Monday by the B.C. director of civil forfeiture. Article content Article content The statement of claim alleges that since at least May 2024, Baptiste has used the BMW 'to transport women, including youth, between Alberta and British Columbia to exploit them for sexual services while making a profit.' Article content CFSEU officers arrested Baptiste on Dec. 11, 2024 on a Canada-wide warrant for conspiracy to commit murder. The Montreal Police Service and the Quebec provincial police announced the same day that Baptiste and others had been arrested in connection with three murders committed in Charlemagne and Montreal in 2023 and 2024. Article content Article content La Presse reported at the time that Baptiste is linked to a Laval street gang called 24 — the number on a pendant the 35-year-old can be seen wearing in a rap video on YouTube. Article content The B.C. lawsuit said Baptiste had been living in Edmonton before his December arrest. Article content The director alleged Baptiste used the BMW X5 to commit several crimes including: 'recruiting, transporting, transferring, receiving, holding, concealing or harbouring a person, or exercising control, direction or influence over the movements of a person, for the purpose of exploiting them or facilitating their exploitation,' receiving a financial benefit from the commission of an offence, procuring a person to offer sexual services, possession of the proceeds of crime and money laundering. Article content Article content 'All or some portion of the defendant's interest in the vehicle is proceeds of unlawful activity because it was acquired, in whole or in part, directly or indirectly, from the unlawful activity,' the statement of claim said. Article content Article content It noted he had a criminal record with convictions for possession for the purpose of trafficking, assault, sexual assault, firearms charges, uttering threats and obstruction. Article content No statement of defence has been filed by Baptiste. Article content In June 2023, he was arrested in Victoria and charged with uttering death threats and possession of a weapon for a dangerous purpose. The case was transferred out of province in October 2023. Article content But the B.C. director of civil forfeiture filed another lawsuit in September 2023, requesting an order to keep $14,555 seized from Baptiste by Victoria Police, alleging he 'procured a person to provide sexual services' then got into a disagreement about payment.
Vancouver Sun
3 hours ago
- Vancouver Sun
BMW seized from Montreal gangster in Kamloops linked to sex trafficking
The B.C. government wants to keep a 2018 BMW seized from a Montreal gangster linked to a murder plot and sex trafficking. Pierre-André Baptiste was arrested by the Combined Forces Special Enforcement Unit in December in Kamloops, according to a lawsuit filed Monday by the B.C. director of civil forfeiture. The statement of claim alleges that since at least May 2024, Baptiste has used the BMW 'to transport women, including youth, between Alberta and British Columbia to exploit them for sexual services while making a profit.' CFSEU officers arrested Baptiste on Dec. 11, 2024 on a Canada-wide warrant for conspiracy to commit murder. The Montreal Police Service and the Quebec provincial police announced the same day that Baptiste and others had been arrested in connection with three murders committed in Charlemagne and Montreal in 2023 and 2024. Start your day with a roundup of B.C.-focused news and opinion. By signing up you consent to receive the above newsletter from Postmedia Network Inc. A welcome email is on its way. If you don't see it, please check your junk folder. The next issue of Sunrise will soon be in your inbox. Please try again Interested in more newsletters? Browse here. La Presse reported at the time that Baptiste is linked to a Laval street gang called 24 — the number on a pendant the 35-year-old can be seen wearing in a rap video on YouTube. The B.C. lawsuit said Baptiste had been living in Edmonton before his December arrest. The director alleged Baptiste used the BMW X5 to commit several crimes including: 'recruiting, transporting, transferring, receiving, holding, concealing or harbouring a person, or exercising control, direction or influence over the movements of a person, for the purpose of exploiting them or facilitating their exploitation,' receiving a financial benefit from the commission of an offence, procuring a person to offer sexual services, possession of the proceeds of crime and money laundering. 'All or some portion of the defendant's interest in the vehicle is proceeds of unlawful activity because it was acquired, in whole or in part, directly or indirectly, from the unlawful activity,' the statement of claim said. It noted he had a criminal record with convictions for possession for the purpose of trafficking, assault, sexual assault, firearms charges, uttering threats and obstruction. No statement of defence has been filed by Baptiste. The arrest late last year was not Baptiste's first in B.C. In June 2023, he was arrested in Victoria and charged with uttering death threats and possession of a weapon for a dangerous purpose. The case was transferred out of province in October 2023. But the B.C. director of civil forfeiture filed another lawsuit in September 2023, requesting an order to keep $14,555 seized from Baptiste by Victoria Police, alleging he 'procured a person to provide sexual services' then got into a disagreement about payment. Police searched his vehicle and found the cash 'bundled or packaged in a manner not consistent with standard banking practices' as well as a baton, the 2023 statement of claim said. In his statement of defence, Baptiste said the money was earned legitimately and that he worked part-time in Montreal as both a hairdresser and truck driver. And he said he was also a musical artist that had been signed by Seiha Studios 'since in or around 2021.' All but $3,700 of the cash was forfeited to the B.C. government by consent in 2024. In September 2020, Surrey RCMP arrested Baptiste at the request the Quebec-based Integrated Anti-Pimping Squad which alleged he was sexually exploiting a 25-year-old woman. At the time, police said they believed he may have other victims in cities across Canada. kbolan@ Blueksy: @
11 hours ago
She came to Canada for university, but she'd never been accepted. The scam cost her $7K
With an admission letter to a Quebec university in hand, Aminata flew from Benin, west Africa, to Montreal with $2,000 in her pocket to fulfil her dream of pursuing higher education in Canada. Back in 2022, she'd connected with a man who she says positioned himself as a consultant who could process her documents and submit her university and immigration applications. But not long after she landed in Montreal and made her way to Chicoutimi, Que., she realized it was all a scam. She had not been accepted to university. She did not have a scholarship. Her immigration papers were fraudulent and based on a falsified acceptance letter. My dream turned into a nightmare, Aminata said. CBC is using a pseudonym to protect her identity because, due to her falsified immigration papers, she is without legal status in Canada. Clasping her hands while sitting in her apartment in Chicoutimi, nearly two years after the ordeal, the 30-year-old Beninois still doesn't feel settled or safe. I'm living with the fear that at any time I can get deported, she said. This is not a life. Aminata doesn't want to go back home now, saying she would have to completely start again in Benin. CBC News is using a pseudonym to protect her identity because of her immigration status. (CBC) Photo: CBC / Rachel Watts Aminata was not the only victim of the scam. CBC News has spoken to another woman who says the same man who presented himself as a consultant took her money after he was hired to submit her university applications. According to an expert, not only is this type of fraud becoming common, but prospective students in Africa are among those targeted by scammers in high numbers. 'I gave him all my money' For Aminata, it all started when she came into contact with the consultant through her uncle. She said the pair agreed on $4,000 before the price for the agent's service went up. I gave him all my money, she said, adding that it totalled about $7,000 in the end. She sent along the required documents — her birth certificate and diplomas. Within a few months, she was emailed an acceptance letter into the master of organization management program at the Université du Québec à Chicoutimi. She says the man also managed to get her the Quebec Acceptance Certificate (new window) (CAQ) — the province's mandatory document which permits international students to apply for a study permit. Although she considered deferring her acceptance to stay in Benin to save up money, she says the agent, who is also from Benin and studied in Chicoutimi, pressured her to book the flights and start school immediately. He asked me to not worry. [That] everything is under control, she said. But something was off. She arrived in Montreal on Aug. 28, 2023, and in mere days, the whole scheme unraveled. WATCH | Aminata says her dream turned into a nightmare: Début du widget Widget. Passer le widget ? Fin du widget Widget. Retourner au début du widget ? They paid a consultant thousands to help them go to university in Canada. It was a scam Two women who came from West Africa to study in Quebec say they found out after they arrived that the university acceptance letters arranged for them by a consultant, which their immigration papers were based on, were fraudulent. She says the consultant suddenly informed her he was deferring her acceptance. A fellow Chicoutimi student in whom she confided about her situation told Aminata she needed to go to the administration to sort out her status as a student. She says the consultant wouldn't answer her calls but when she finally got him on the line, he became defensive, started shouting, and told her not to give the school the documentation and acceptance letter he provided. They told me that they feel like I have been scammed, she recalled the school's administration saying, adding that she found out her real application file was open but incomplete. She says the consultant had submitted fraudulent paperwork. That day, I was feeling like this is not true, she said. Another victim, same story Fatim only realized she was a victim of a scam after seeing Aminata's story in a Radio-Canada report. (new window) Her story was the same as mine, said Fatim, who travelled to Quebec from Benin in July 2023. CBC News is also using a pseudonym to protect her identity because of her concerns over her immigration status. She arrived with the intention of starting university in Chicoutimi after receiving an admission letter and documentation from the same consultant as Aminata. Aminata pictured with her university acceptance letter. She believed it was authentic until she approached the school's administration. Photo: Radio-Canada / Priscilla Plamondon Lalancette Upon arrival, she says the consultant abandoned her despite promises to help her defer her acceptance. I didn't know it was fraud but I had felt that something was not normal, said Fatim, who says she still feels overwhelmed and imprisoned by her situation. Her father, who was responsible for connecting with the consultant, sent him thousands of dollars to help secure the university applications — even selling a property to afford it. Knowing the effort and money he put into helping her, Fatim says she tried to keep the truth from him after her schooling fell through. One day my dad said, 'my girl, tell me what's really going on?' said Fatim. I remember it like it was yesterday. She said once her father found out what happened, his health took a turn for the worse. He felt responsible for getting his daughter into trouble without even knowing it. He died in December 2024, and Fatim couldn't get back home. Although she considered returning to Benin to her family and husband — whom she hasn't seen in nearly two years — she says she wants to build a life for herself in Canada and prove to Immigration Canada that this was truly not her fault. She says the agent had previously told her she could apply for asylum in Canada to secure her immigration status — a step she said didn't feel right. She says she didn't want to abuse Canada's system. Fatim recalled telling the consultant, I want another way out of this mess you've gotten me into. CBC News contacted the man who Aminata and Fatim say scammed them. In a brief phone call, he denied allegations that he is an agent who helps people submit applications to university. He also denied having taken any money. CBC has not been able to reach him for follow up questions or an interview. His number has since been deactivated. Dozens of fraudulent admission letters The way things are, victims of immigration fraud often have little recourse, says Richard Kurland, an immigration lawyer and policy analyst based in Vancouver. He says it's also more difficult for people to do their due diligence because they are less familiar with the Canadian college system. The communication infrastructure is not the same, he said. And literally some people have sold the farm to get to Canada to study. Now those are tragedies. In his career, he says scams for immigration foreign study permits have become as common as Vancouver rain. The Université du Québec à Chicoutimi (UQAC) says 44 cases of fraudulent admission letters were identified by the registrar's office between June and December 2023. While most of the individuals who received these letters did not show up on campus, 12 did, said a university spokesperson in an emailed statement. In cases where individuals showed up on campus with a CAQ document and study permit obtained through the falsified letter, UQAC says they took the necessary precautions to advise the authorities. UQAC says several calls were made to Quebec's Ministry of Immigration, Francization and Integration to question the validity of the CAQ paperwork obtained by these students. In an emailed statement, the ministry told CBC that in the past few years, admission letters containing irregular elements and inauthentic parts have been detected in several files. The Université du Québec à Chicoutimi says between June and December 2023, 44 cases of fraudulent admission letters were identified by the registrar's office. Photo: Radio-Canada / Julien Gagnon Although these situations remain marginal in relation to the overall volume of requests processed, they are rigorously monitored, read the statement. The ministry also confirmed that in order to act as an immigration consultant, an individual must be recognized as such by the government. When an immigration consultant obtains this recognition, his or her name is entered in the register of immigration consultants (new window) . The name of the consultant both women used is not part of the province's list. 1,550 study permit applications linked to fraud In 2023, Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) announced that investigations uncovered nearly 1,550 study permit applications were linked to fraudulent letters of acceptance. This number also includes those that were detected two to three years prior, it says. These applications were intended for designated learning institutions (new window) (DLIs) — a school approved by a provincial or territorial government to host international students, read the statement. In most of these cases, the fraud was detected and subsequent applications were refused, it said. IRCC says the verification process for acceptance letters requires that DLIs verify the authenticity of all letters. To date, the improved letter of acceptance verification system has intercepted more than 10,000 potentially fraudulent letters of acceptance, IRCC says. 'Nobody is doing anything' Both Fatim and Aminata have blocked the consultant's number and are being represented by the same lawyer in their attempt to find a solution for their cases and move forward. Aminata says when she was first informed about the scam, she told UQAC that the agent who falsified her acceptance was a student. UQAC confirmed to Radio-Canada that he was then expelled from his university program. Aminata applied to the university again, contacted the prime minister, the federal minister of immigration, provincial politicians, the anti-fraud service and local police. After that, there was a silence, she said. Saguenay police confirmed to Radio-Canada that they could not take on Aminata's file because the fraud happened overseas. In an emailed statement, it says the victim was referred to her embassy and local police force. They asked me to talk and I talked and nobody is doing anything, Aminata said. I still have that little bit of light … hope that things will change. Rachel Watts (new window) · CBC News
