Restaurant owners cheated by an alleged recruiter of foreign workers

Several restaurateurs in Quebec say they were cheated by a recruiter of workers abroad to whom they paid thousands of dollars to hire employees who never arrived.

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At least three restaurateurs from Quebec and Lévis told the Log a similar misadventure with Adalberto Sauceda Moreno, who left the country without giving them any news (see other text below).

Mr. Sauceda offered them, through his company SMI International Mobility Solutions, to find workers, take care of all the paperwork with the two levels of government and also renew work permits for employees who were already in Canada.

In the midst of a labor shortage, Mr. Sauceda arrived like a gift from heaven, for Kim Sgobba, owner of the restaurant Viva, in the Lebourgneuf sector.

“I was in a mess with the employees like a lot of people at that time, with the reopening of restaurants [lors de la pandémie]“, explains Mr. Sgobba.

With the help of Mr. Sauceda, the restaurateur unearths two candidates. The recruiter billed Mr. Sgobba $5,000 to take care of the two workers, including a Brazilian, mother of three children.

“She sold her condo there, we were waiting for her to come and the procedures to be done. Eventually [on a appelé Services Canada] only to be told that the papers had never been completed”, continues Mr. Sgobba.

The recruiter was also responsible for renewing the work permit of an Italian who worked at Viva, which was never done.

“He probably will never be able to come back to work in Canada because he worked here illegally. [sans le savoir]», Laments the restaurateur, adding that the worker recently returned to Italy.

Two years of waiting

Also affected by the labor shortage, the management of the Blaxton in Saint-Romuald did not hesitate to pay $4,500 for the services of Mr. Sauceda in order to recruit two workers.

“We had filled out the files, the paperwork. We never had any news,” said Steve Leroux, co-owner.

The director of operations of the company decided to continue the work without Mr. Sauceda, after several failures in the steps.

“There is still a good end, and I learned a lot,” says Manon-Élaine Couturier, who was able to welcome the two workers on July 13, after two years of procedures and obstacles.

Félix Lemieux Dallaire, owner of the Miyagi restaurant in the Limoilou sector, also did business with Mr. Sauceda shortly before the pandemic.

“There is a candidacy that went well with him. The rest, I got really stiff,” he drops, adding that he spent between $2,000 and $3,000 to recruit a second worker with Mr. Sauceda.

“For a Filipino candidate who never succeeded,” he continues. He told me he was taking care of the file, and in the end, he just never did anything.

what they said

“Our Brazilian candidate has let us down. I lost her due to the breach of trust and she went elsewhere. It affects the lives of many people” – Kim Sgobba, owner of Viva restaurant.

“It was so nonsense! He asked to make the checks in his personal name. He didn’t really have any company. He also asked candidates for money” – Félix Lemieux Dallaire, owner of the Miyagi restaurant

“It’s shocking. There is the monetary side of my boss, that’s one thing. There is the human aspect of these people. I don’t understand how anyone can do that to someone. Beyond money, there are feelings” – Manon-Élaine Couturier, director of operations at Blaxton

The recruiter says he is surprised by the discontent of the restaurateurs

THE recruiter singled out by restaurateurs defends himself for not having rendered the services for which he was paid, while admitting that he had not completed his mandate for Viva.

Joined in Mexico, his country of origin where he is currently, Adalberto Sauceda Moreno said he was surprised by the recriminations of his former clients.

“None of my phone numbers or [autres moyens de me contacter] have changed,” he says.

The man who has been living in Quebec for twenty years says he returned to Mexico mainly for family reasons last April.

“Also one of the reasons I’m in Mexico is because I’m going to try to sell properties so I can pay a tax debt that I owe. [au Québec]“, he continues, saying he does not know the amount he owes.

He adds that he intends to return to Quebec as soon as he can.

A misunderstanding

Regarding the mandates he had with the restaurants Blaxton, Miyagi and Viva, he maintains that it was the restaurateurs who decided to interrupt or not to renew the contract with him.

He claims to have invoiced only for the work carried out and pleads the misunderstanding. He adds that he has never received checks in his own name or asked candidates for money.

“For the Viva restaurant, yes, I will not hide from you that I had difficulties in doing the job and its main candidate [la Brésilienne] decided to change employers because it took a long time,” admits Mr. Sauceda Moreno.

No police complaint or lawsuit has been filed against Mr. Sauceda Moreno. However, some restaurateurs say they want to take action against him.

M^e Maxime Lapointe, a lawyer specializing in immigration, reminds us that employers must make sure to work with people who are accredited and qualified to fulfill this type of mandate. Workers also need to be aware of the procedures, to avoid mistakes.