Former Montreal mayor Michael Applebaum was found guilty of eight of the 14 charges that were levelled against him Thursday afternoon in connection with two bribery schemes that saw roughly $60,000 extorted from developers seeking contracts. Sentencing arguments have been set for Feb. 15.
Michael Applebaum collapsed in court
The lengthy judgment read by the justice was interrupted 90 minutes in when Applebaum fainted, soon after her ruling appeared to indicate a negative outcome for the former mayor. Applebaum was accused of extorting roughly $60,000 in bribes from business developers while he was borough mayor of Côte-des-Neiges—Notre-Dame-de-Grâce. Applebaum was arrested in June 2013 by Quebec’s anti-corruption police force.
Read more at The Montreal Gazette.