Quebec man who imported 26,630 fake $2 coins made in China gets jail time
The case marks the second time a Canadian has been convicted following investigations into thousands of fake $2 coins that have flooded big and small cities across the country.
A Quebec man has been sentenced to nine months in jail after admitting to orchestrating one of the largest operations involving counterfeit Chinese-made toonies in Canadian history, according to information obtained by Global News.
Jean-Francois Généreux, from Sorel, Quebec, about 70 kilometres from Montreal, pleaded guilty to two criminal charges, including importing and distributing counterfeit currency into Canada. The sentencing took place just before the Labour Day weekend, with Quebec Court Judge Marc-Nicolas Foucault presiding.
Despite Généreux's unemployment status, Judge Foucault did not impose additional surcharges, which are typically seen in such cases. The judge also ordered the seizure of 26,630 counterfeit toonies that Généreux had imported from a manufacturer in Quanzhou, China, to ensure their destruction under federal supervision.
The sentence was the result of a joint submission by the Crown prosecutor and Généreux’s defense lawyer, which was accepted by the court. In addition to the nine-month jail term, Généreux received a concurrent 30-day sentence for possession of illegal cannabis.
Global News previously reported on Généreux’s arrest last fall, detailing how quick thinking by a Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA) officer led to the seizure of the 26,630 counterfeit $2 coins from China. Some of the fake coins were intercepted at Mirabel International Airport, while others were found hidden across Généreux's property.
Généreux has a long history of convictions related to counterfeiting and fake documents. Evidence gathered by the CBSA revealed that he disguised the shipments of counterfeit coins, delivered via FedEx, as "metal badges" in shipping documents, and falsely claimed they were for his company, Quebec Cards, which was a non-existent business.
Further investigation revealed that Généreux has been arrested more than a dozen times since 2001. His previous convictions include multiple cases of using counterfeit money and fake documents, as well as fraud, identity theft, mail theft, and repeated probation violations. He has been jailed three times, including a 12-month sentence in 2012.
Mike Marshall, a counterfeit coin expert based in Ontario, criticized the sentence, calling it a “slap on the wrist.” He pointed out that under Canadian law, counterfeiters can face up to 14 years in prison and questioned why the government wasn’t publicizing the case more widely to deter others. "It’s our monetary system that is being undermined, and Canada is doing nothing," Marshall said.
Merchants and individuals who unknowingly handle or try to deposit counterfeit toonies are not compensated by Canadian banks for their losses.
Généreux is the second person convicted in Canada in connection with the circulation of thousands of fake $2 coins. In May 2022, the RCMP in Toronto arrested 68-year-old Daixiong He of Richmond Hill, Ontario, and charged him with uttering and possessing counterfeit money. Investigators seized 10,000 fake $2 coins during the operation, dubbed the "Camel Toe toonies" case.
Authorities discovered that Mr. He had made deposits totaling about $80,000 in suspected counterfeit toonies, making his case one of the largest of its kind in Canadian history. He claimed to have received the coins from another individual, who remains unidentified. Ontario General Court Justice Amit Ghosh fined Mr. He $100,000 after he admitted to violating two sections of the Criminal Code for “uttering and possessing” counterfeit money between January and November 2021.
According to CBSA search warrants and affidavits, Chinese metal manufacturers sell counterfeit toonies to people like Généreux for as little as five U.S. cents each, providing a potential for substantial profit—if not caught.
