Further charges laid after GTA homes rented using fake ID turned into rooming houses
Additional charges have been laid against a GTA man who has been accused of using fraudulent documents to rent luxury houses only to turn them into rooming houses for a profit.
York Regional Police began an investigation in April 2020 after receiving information about a suspect in possession of fake identification documents.
It was later determined that between December 2019 and June 2020, two suspects used fraudulent identification to rent luxury homes in Markham and Richmond Hill, police said.
According to investigators, they then altered the interiors of the homes to allow multiple tenants and subleased the homes as rooming houses.
“In some cases, more than 20 people were residing in the homes and paying rent to the suspects,” police said in a news release issued Thursday. “The homeowners did not receive any rental payments and had not been able to evict the suspects or the occupants due to COVID-19 restrictions.”
Two people were charged in June 2020 with fraud over $5,000, uttering forged documents and identity fraud in connection with the investigation.
In February 2021 investigators discovered that one of the suspects had continued to rent luxury houses in York Region. The suspect showed the owners fraudulent identification and then converted the homes into subleased rental spaces for numerous people, police said.
On Oct. 5, a suspect identified as Markham resident Arif Adnan Syed, 39, was further charged with three counts of fraud over $5,000, false statement in writing, uttering forged document and possession of property obtained by crime.
The charges have not been proven in court.
In the news release police issued a warning to homeowners to be aware of how their investment properties are being used when renting them out.
Anyone with further information is being urged to contact police or reach out to Crime Stoppers anonymously.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Winnipeg man admits to killing four women, argues he's not criminally responsible
Defence lawyers of Jeremy Skibicki have admitted in court the accused killed four Indigenous women, but argues he is not criminally responsible for the deaths by way of mental disorder – this latest development has triggered a judge-alone trial rather than a jury trial.
Teacher charged in historical sexual assault of Calgary teenage girl
Calgary police have charged a teacher with the alleged sexual assault of a teenage girl more than 20 years ago.
Mediterranean staple may lower your risk of death from dementia, study finds
A daily spoonful of olive oil could lower your risk of dying from dementia, according to a new study by Harvard scientists.
An El Nino-less summer is coming. Here's what that could mean for Canada
As Canadians brace themselves for summer temperatures, forecasters say a weakening El Nino cycle doesn’t mean relief from the heat.
Man banned from owning animals after fatal Calgary dog attack
The owner of three Calgary dogs that got loose and mauled a woman to death in 2022 has been ordered to pay a $15,000 fine within one year and banned from owning any animal for 15 years.
East-end Ottawa family dealing with massive rat infestation
Residents in Ottawa’s Elmridge Gardens complex are dealing with a rat infestation that just won’t go away. Now, after doing everything they can to try to fix the issue, they are pleading with the city to step in and help.
DEVELOPING Israel says Hamas deal is 'far' from meeting its demands as Rafah offensive looms
Israel said the terms of a ceasefire deal Hamas accepted on Monday remained 'far from' meeting its demands and warned its military operations in Rafah would continue, even as it sent negotiators to talk to mediators.
2024 Met Gala: Everything to know about fashion's annual soiree
Fashion's biggest night out — hosted at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York each year on the first Monday of May — is both a forever-evolving spectacle and a carefully crafted event.
Concern over speeding in Fredericton neighbourhood grows after 2 teens, young adult killed in crash
Three people – including two teens – are dead, and two others are injured after a crash that has left a greater Fredericton community shaken.