Vincent Lacroix was released from jail on Tuesday evening and driven to a halfway house where the welcome mat was firmly rolled up.
A dozen of Lacroix's new neighbours made it clear they did not want him in the neighbourhood.
They shouted and taunted the former head of the Norbourg investment firm as he made the short dash inside.
A day later, attitudes have not changed.
"I think it was wrong to bring him into St-Henri, because even though St-Henri is a poor district in Montreal, we still have our values," said one resident.
The halfway house, located in Saint-Henri, is where Lacroix will live for the next 18 months.
Lacroix's victims are upset he's being released, even on bail, so soon.
Upset victims
Michel Vezina and his wife lost their life savings, over $300,000, because of the former Norbourg boss.
At the age of 70, Vezina mows lawns and paints fences to put food on his table.
"After 18 months, after what he did, he's free. And I'm not free yet, after four years," said Vezina.
Corrections Canada says Lacroix is anything but free.
"It's the most restricted than any other form of conditional release. They have to report to their parole officer on a regular basis, they have to tell their parole officer what they do during the day," said Jean-Yves Roy.
Lacroix's time
Lacroix will likely be sharing a room with another inmate.
He'll be allowed visitors -- but only at certain hours.
And for the next nine months, he'll have to do volunteer work almost every day.
Lacroix had served 20 months of an 8.5 year sentence after being found guilty of securities fraud.
He is now being brought up on criminal charges for the same incident, which saw more than 9,000 investors lose more than $100 million.
Lacroix is on bail as he waits for criminal proceedings to begin. His father Donald Lacroix posted the $5,000 cash bail, and an unknown person agreed to be responsible for the $50,000 guarantee should Lacroix break his bail conditions.
He faces about 200 criminal charges relating to fraud.
