Jonathan Duhamel’s Ex Bianca Rojas-Latraverse Sentenced to 42 Months
As many of you will remember, Team PokerStars Pro Jonathan Duhamel won the 2010 World Series of Poker Main Event, raking in $8.94 million and the coveted WSOP Championship gold bracelet. One year later, he was the victim of a brutal home invasion in which his ex-girlfriend, Bianca Rojas-Latraverse, was implicated as the orchestrator of. On Tuesday, Rojas-Latraverse was handed down a sentence of 42 months, equivalent to 3.5 years, behind bars for her primary role in the assault and robbery.
On December 21, 2011, Jonathan’s house, just outside of Montreal, was broken into by a duo of male perpetrators. It started as what appeared to be an innocent knock at the door by a FedEx postman. As Duhamel opened the door, the falsely-adorned culprit and his cohort forced their way into the home. Duhamel was tied up and violently assaulted. During the brutal attack, the two men robbed Duhamel of his WSOP Championship bracelet, a Rolex watch that was awarded to Duhamel by PokerStars to commemorate their sponsored pro’s prestigious WSOP victory (valued at $10k), as well as an estimated $40,000-CAD, and €74,000-EUR.
During the investigation, the Rolex watch and the WSOP Championship bracelet were both found, but the bracelet was reported to be severely damaged, as if someone has attempted to scrape off any identifying marks as to it belonging to the Canadian poker pro. Bianca Rojas-Latraverse and three other suspects were arrested, including the two men who invaded Duhamel’s home and committed the terroristic acts, and a third man who was identified as the get-a-way driver.
Fast forward to September of 2012, wherein Rojas-Latraverse pled guilty in front of Judge Anne-Marie Jacques and admitted to her role in the crimes of conspiracy, breaking and entering and kidnapping. However, according to the judge upon sentencing, the orchestrator of the events showed absolutely no remorse for her crimes; relayed no sense of compunction whatsoever throughout the lengthy proceedings. As such, Judge Anne-Marie Jacques chose to sentence Rojas-Latraverse to an extended stay of 42 months in jail.
It was clear by her emotional stance, or lack thereof, that Rojas-Latraverse “wanted to take revenge”, said Judge Jacques. “She admits that she wanted vengeance against Jonathan Duhamel, to do bad to him.” The judge went on to say that Rojas-Latraverse’s firm punishment was attributed to the culprit’s “behavior behind bars and her total lack of introspection”, and also accused Duhamel’s ex of perjury, referring to the woman’s claim that her role in the crime was secondary, having joined a conspiracy plot that was previously organized by others, when in reality the court found her to be the sole, originating orchestrator of the events.
The felonious unit’s get-away-driver, Andres Valderrama, also pled guilty in 2012. The two men who were accused of committing the break-in, assault and robbery, Anthony Bourque and John Stephan Clark-Lemay, chose to plead innocent, and are still fighting what would seem to be a precariously steep uphill battle in court.
Bianca Rojas-Latraverse has been behind bars for the last 18 months since her arraignment, reducing her current sentence of 42 months to 2 years (or 24 months) remaining. Once her time has been served, she will be required to spend another 3 years on probation. Sarah Desabrais, Rojas-Latraverse’s attorney, states that her client is not ready to give up yet and may choose to appeal the ruling, saying “we lost the battle, but we didn’t lose the war.”
The mix of Jonathan Duhamel’s poker success and personal challenges is quite intriguing! How different events shaped his journey is worth exploring.
What an inspiring journey Duhamel had! Overcoming such adversities truly showcases resilience and determination. 😊