An Edmonton woman, Shum Shabat Yousouf, aged 35, has received a 12-month jail term for defrauding a vulnerable client of over $73,000. Yousouf, who pleaded guilty to a fraud charge exceeding $5,000 in November 2025, was sentenced in the Edmonton Court of Justice on Friday.
The court revealed that Yousouf held a position as a program manager and housing worker at Contentment Social Services Foundation (CSSF), a non-profit organization offering assisted-living services. She was identified as an authorized representative in the organization’s corporate records.
The victim, a 59-year-old man diagnosed with a mental illness and in need of daily assistance, had engaged with CSSF in April 2022. Per their agreement, the victim, Christopher Domoslai, paid $1,450 monthly for accommodation, meals, cleaning assistance, and transportation.
Yousouf, in early 2023, started instructing the victim to procure bank drafts exceeding his monthly fee. She also assisted him in setting up online banking, including creating a password, as he lacked the capability to navigate online banking independently. Subsequently, she accessed his online banking, transferring funds without his consent, including 61 e-transfers from his account.
The court disclosed that out of these transfers, 57 ended up in CSSF’s account, totaling $63,445, while the remaining $3,500 was sent to a personal account. Yousouf additionally used the victim’s account to make payments of $10,650 to a property management company.
The fraud was uncovered in December 2023 when the victim’s sister found his accounts nearly depleted, with only around $5,000 remaining. Yousouf initially tried to conceal her actions, posing as the organization’s CEO and attributing the transactions to a fictional employee named “Sabrina Smith.”
The victim’s family later discovered CSSF had failed to pay his rent, leading to arrears and potential eviction. The family terminated their ties with CSSF in June 2024. The court noted that the fraud substantially depleted the victim’s life savings and significantly impacted him and his family.
During sentencing, the judge highlighted Yousouf’s breach of trust and the victim’s vulnerability. The judge considered the extended duration of the fraud, the number of transactions, the amount embezzled, and Yousouf’s attempts to hide her involvement as aggravating factors.
Yousouf, despite having no prior criminal record, pleading guilty, and displaying remorse, was ordered to serve the jail term and pay restitution of $73,598.99 by December 1, 2035, through scheduled payments. Additionally, she must pay $69,295 as forfeiture by August 21, 2037, with any restitution payments reducing the forfeiture amount.
The judge imposed a five-year prohibition preventing Yousouf from roles involving authority over others’ finances unless she discloses the case’s facts. She is also barred from managing entities with similar authority without the same disclosure.