Sex-trade worker who planned deadly trap for Ottawa pimp pleads guilty, three killers remain at large

Crystal Bastien worked hard for her money.

She kept it in a shoebox and it never left her side. She earned it in the Ottawa sex trade and from cash payouts at the casino across the river. In all, she had around $80,000.So, when the money went missing in 2018, it was devastating. She blamed her Ottawa pimp, Mohamad Mana, 30, of stealing it but he maintained otherwise. Either way, Bastien firmly believed her pimp had stolen her shoebox savings so she hatched a plot to confront, intimidate and threaten him in an attempt to recover her missing money.

It turned deadly in seconds flat.

[…]

Bastien was originally charged with murder in the first degree, but she has now pleaded guilty to the lesser charge of manslaughter after her lawyer Michael Spratt negotiated a successful resolution with the Crown Attorney’s Office.

“Ms. Bastien never intended for anyone to be hurt and she never imagined the night would end tragically. To her credit, she has taken responsibility for her actions and their unintended consequences,” Spratt said.

[…]

Read Gary Dimmock’s full story: Ottawa Citizen