It was the middle of the pandemic, and the dizzyingly complex criminal case against Arash Missaghi was falling apart.
A looming trial was about to test the most substantial set of charges Missaghi — a man who would become known as a “prolific fraudster” — had ever faced. But in the midst of the pandemic, as courts struggled to hear proceedings on Zoom, the case was collapsing in a virtual Ontario courtroom.
Ten weeks out from a jury trial, Justice John McMahon heard reservations from Crown attorney Mitchell Flagg about several of the accused, including Missaghi, having yet to retain a lawyer, and the prospect of running a trial with several self-represented people, including one who would need the entire hearing translated into Farsi.
