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A convicted fraudster who helped stage the kidnapping of a U.S. citizen in Downtown Vancouver, including posing as a victim, has been sentenced to four years in prison.

In December, Ayaz Dhanani, 40, who received a lifetime securities trading ban in 2016, pleaded guilty in B.C. Supreme Court to the April 17, 2016, abduction of Farjad Fani.

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Dhanani, who was earlier convicted of fraud and sentenced to three years in prison, befriended Fani over the course of several weeks, telling him that he owned property. Fani told him that he was wealthy and was arranging to stay in Vancouver for several months in order to conduct business.

On the night of the abduction, the two men met at a restaurant in Coal Harbour and then went for a walk before a van pulled up and the two men were ordered into the vehicle.

After getting into the van, the accused’s legs and arms were tied behind his back with zap straps and two male co-conspirators pushed the victim to the floor. One of the co-conspirators, who were not identified in court, threatened the victim, saying “Get the f–k down. I’m going to kill you.”