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| Elizabeth Kugiel, 1968 |
Elizabeth Kugiel, 20, struck an elegant figure as a downtown Montreal scenester in 1967 as she flitted about in bars and bistros around Mountain and Crescent, motoring around top down in her Jaguar convertible.
But behind the glamorous facade lay a thick layer of poor-little-rich-girl family dysfunction that led her and her mom to undertake a shockingly ruthless and diabolical scheme.
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| Israel Kugiel |
Elizabeth's father Israel Kugiel - the real star of this story as it emerges - was a wealthy international man of mystery who left France to live in Brazil - where he entered under a fake passport - and lived a luxury life with a 45-foot yacht and a ranch with 2,000 horses.
The Kugiel family moved to Montreal in 1960 and kept up the high life. "I only regret one thing, having too much too soon because afterwards you always hope that it keeps going but we're never sure that it will," Elizabeth said in 1968.
It remains unknown how Kugiel made his fortune - supposedly worth $10 million.
Israel left his wife Denise (b.1917) in 1964 and moved in with Gertrude Prucha (b. 1934), a former Austrian ballerina who'd been his mistress for a dozen years and gave him a son in 1959.
Israel purchased the LaSalle Hotel on Drummond Street on 29 April 1965 and also owned a couple of homes in Montreal and a cottage in Ste. Agathe.
Kugiel sent $250 in alimony to his wife but suddenly stopped s in January 1967.
Denise was not happy, nor were the glamourous party girl daughter Elizabeth and the serious son George.
Denise, the ex, and daughter Elizabeth then brainstormed ways to get the tap flowing again. They sought out someone who could take Israel's money by force.
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| Gertrude and son |
Denise contacted private detective Ronald Bourgon, 36, a private detective living on Gouin W. He, in turn, rounded up henchmen Jean Paul Leveille, 27, a labourer from the south shore and Fred Grant, 41, of Ontario Street.
They hatched a plan for a home invasion and in the evening of 3 August 1967 Elizabeth went on a downtown blitz, downing up to 10 double whiskeys before bringing the three masked, heavily-armed men to her dad's house in St. Agathe where Israel was sleeping, as was his wife and young son.
The gang proved astoundingly brutal and tied and bound the three inside. They taped Israel's mouth and threatened him to shoot and stab him and threatened to kidnap his seven-year-old son Robert Louis for $250,000 ransom. They poured gasoline over Gertrude's head, threatening to light her up. They shredded valuable rugs worth $12,000.
The bandits took a large sum of cash and valuables and then headed to his city home on
12069 James Morrice St. and robbed that place too and then returned to the cottage to harass the embattled victims again. The gang took over $50,000 in cash and over $80,000 in other goods.
Elizabeth had suspected that her loving father would not report the attack to the police but she was wrong and the gang was rounded up and charged, as was Denise, 50, who was tried separately.
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| The three thugs |
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Incredibly, Israel Kugiel was also at the center of two other high-profile scandals around the same time.
One was an apparently banal affair which saw him send a colour TV as a gift to the home of police director Jean-Jacques Saulnier on 30 December 1966.
Kugiel had befriended Saulnier while he was still on the morality squad. Saulnier had helped out with an affair of employee theft and threats which Kugiel had received.
The TV gift became public in February 1967 and fed countless investigations and newspaper articles, as Saulnier claimed that he didn't solicit the gift and tried repeatedly to get it taken back, which it finally was. But the TV would cost Saulnier his career as he was forced to resign in mid-1972
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Prior to being targeted by his family's home invation, Israel Kugiel also found himself wrapped up in complicated financial issues which led to him declaring bankruptcy on 29 April 1967 two years to the day after he purchased the LaSalle Hotel.
Kugiel trusted his notaries, Samuel and Nathan Caplan, who proposed a complicated deal to deal with the siutation that would see him acquire a $3 million piece of land on Cote de Liesse. He signed four blank sheets for his notaries to write contracts around to finalize the deal.
By June 1968 Kugiel complained that the Caplans had defrauded him of $6 million.
Kugiel told a court: "I lost my hotel. I lost my Expos profits of more than $3 million and an additional loss of three million dollars of the Cote de Liesse property."
Prosecutors charged the Caplans with defrauding Kugiel but dropped the case after the two sides apparently reached some sort of settlement.
The Caplans still faced a lengthy set of other fraud charges based on other customer complaints but that's a story for another time.
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On 1 April 1969 Judge Armand Sylvestre acquitted Elizabeth on all charges.
Sylvestre sentenced the three thugs to one single day in jail.
Denise was found guilty of possessing stolen goods and given a suspended sentence.
The Crown appealed the sentences and the new judge sentenced the three men to five to seven years each.
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| Elizabeth |
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Perhaps most tragically of all, Israel Kugiel, 47, died on 16 November 1969.
The cause of death was never revealed and the Quebec coroner made no report on his death.
One might speculate that several parties might have had an interest in seeing him dead but it seems highly unlikely that someone murdered him.
Elizabeth's name popped up in newspapers many times since the craziness, mostly in the small print of formal announcements, suggesting that she ran businesses that went bankrupt. She was named in a car fraud complaint in 1978. Her name does not appear after 1994 so it's unknown what became of her.
Her brother George, who played no role in any of the misdeeds, ran a discotheque for a while in the 1970s and now seems to own a furniture store on St. Lawrence.
June 1968, notary Samuel Caplan defrauded him of $6 million by getting him to sign four blank forms.
20 july 68 Samuel Caplan, 65, ordered to trial drfrauding 800 creditors of $4 million.
-Judge Jacqeus Anctil threw out seven charges laidby Kugiel alleging $6 million
Samuel Caplan along with Nathan Caplan and Bruce Moidel, also notaries, conspired between 66 and 67 to defraud creditors
' settlements had been arrived at bythe parties- kugiel -
(20 july 68 - kugiel testified - earlier.
- kugiel boughthotel 29 april 65 and lost it two years later on the same day taken over bunder bankruptcy.
the caplans made a deal to swap it for property on cote de liesse worth $3m. kugiel said everything fell apart 29 april 67.
testified on 22 jun 68 -
(article 26 Jan 1972)
april 17 1974 - notary caplan "devant la correctional depuis 6 an deja" will finally face the charges.
The guys delivered it and he kept phoning Kugiel to arrange to come take it back.
Kugiel was involved in a major fraud case at the time. He had declared bankruptcy.
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On 1 April 1969 Judge Armand Sylvestre acquitted Elizabeth on all charges.
the three men were found guilty and sentencd to one day in jail.
Her mom Denise was found guilty of possessing stolen goods and given a suspended sentence.
the Crown appealed the sentences - something that cannot be donein the USA due to thedouble indemnity rule) and the new judge sentenced the three men to five to seven years each.
in a pair of other major scandals at the same time.
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The court acquitted Elizabeth and the other men
A judge sentenced the men to one day in jail but crown appealed and they were given 5 years each. the girl said she was just a victim.
Denise, 50, charged 22 August 1967 with conspiracy to committ burglarly and possession fo stolen merchandise from his home on James Morrice Ave.
entry visa the husband used a fake name tocome into brazil - lots of money. lots of property. home in tmr, ahuntsic, st agathe.
Three others, including Elizabeth, 21, who lives with mom, already had their trial.
Also on trial were Rpnald Bourgon, 36, private detective living on Gouin W. collection agency man and Jean Paul Leveille, 27, a labourer from the south shore of St. Jacques Mineur. (a fourth man Fred Grant, 41, of Ontario St. W. was acquitted).
Threatened him to shoot him to death and stab him and chocked him by tape over the mouth. "i was luckyt o come out of that alive, so were my wife and seven year old boy, they wanted to kidnap him for $250,000."
He was sleeping when he saw his daughter followed by the three men, heavily armed.
His wife was pregnant she had been in the Vienna State Opera as a ballerina. They poured gasoine over her head to scare her.
They took $5k cash and other valuables with a total of $9k.
Expnsive rugs cut up worth $12k.
They also stole $20 k of stuff from his home in mtl a couple of hors after the affair.
Denise was tried separately. She and Elizabeth claimed that he wouldn't report the thefts because he wanted to protect hsi daughter.
Loot estimated at $60,000 plus was taken. So the amount stolen varies wildly.
June 1968, notary Samuel Caplan defrauded him of $6 million by getting him to sign four blank forms.
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They were charged with armed robbery with vioelence at his cottage at Lac Mercier in St. Agathe.
Kugiel, commonlaw wife Gertrude Prucha, 37, have a son Roberto Louis, 7.
They were sleeping on 3 Aug when four broke in and held then captive for three hours as they ransacked the home and made off with $50,000 in cash and other tvaluables.
Mrs Kugiel said she hadn't received a cent from her ex husband for eight months. She told Bourgon that he had $3 million hidden in thehome.
Shepaid Bourgon with two rings she said were worth about $7,000 but he checked and found they were about 10percent of that.
Elizabeth met with Bourgon and a burglary specialist Leveillee and Grant.
Israel Kugiel owned the LaSalle hotel downtown. He sent a colour TV to the home of police director Jean-Jacques Saulnier on 30 December 1966.. The guys delivered it and he kept phoning Kugiel to arrange to come take it back.
Kugiel was involved in a major fraud case at the time. He had declared bankruptcy.
ON 13 February 1967 tow officers came to his home to investitage the gift. Le Devoir reported it on 13 January. Kugiel met him summer 1966 when a hotel employee called about employee theft and such things as well as threats Kugiel had received.
thehotel wasn being renovated so there was no activity almost and no prosittuion certainl.
In mid February guys from thehoel came and took the TV back. (article 26 Jan 1972)
In March 1978 someone complained that she had defrauded him in a car affair at 5008 Decarie.
her brother was running a nigthclub called Speaksy from September 1975.
her father, who is divorced from his mom is israel kugiel. he was target of extrotion. he lives in quebec with his 2nd wife a former austrian ballerina and their 8 year old son. late night 4 august elizabethw ent to the home in st agathe. she's let in. she's with 3 masked people who jump on her parents and children and tie them up. 3 hours later they torture him to get the secret to where he is hiding his fortune. they left without getting anything.. well $50k of objects. they go to tyheir montrela homes and then return to the laurentians to harass them again. police believed the daughter could act with impunity as her father had a mysterious past and wouldnt complain. the dad had lived i n france and brazil and elsewhere in south america. he came to quebec in 1960 and bought hotel lasalle. later he divorced and moved in with his ballerina. he gives lots of money tohis ex . it's not enough. they live a sumptuous life and send him the ills. he closed the tap and they decided to grab the money in other ways. jan 68 2
A judge sentenced the men to one day in jail but crown appealed and they were given 5 years each. the girl said she was just a victim.
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