Quebec Superior Court Justice Richard Wagner's sentence came about three weeks after Lacroix surprised everyone by pleading guilty to 200 fraud-related charges.

He stood accused of pilfering $100 million from some 9,200 investors.

The Crown was seeking the maximum sentence of 14 years in prison, while Lacroix's lawyer countered that a sentence of between 10 and 12 years would be sufficient.

The judge ruled that the 13-year term will run consecutively to a five-year sentence Lacroix ended up with for securities violations related to the same crimes.

Lacroix was convicted on those violations in 2007. The initial sentence of 12 years was eventually whittled down to five years after appeals by the accused.