Hundreds of additional charges laid in Toronto moving scam; fourth person arrested

The Toronto Police Service's emblem is photographed during a press conference at TPS headquarters, in Toronto on Tuesday, May 17, 2022. (THE CANADIAN PRESS/Christopher Katsarov)

Three people who have already been charged in connection with a scam involving moving companies are facing hundreds of additional charges, and a fourth person has been arrested in the case.

In June, Toronto police announced the arrest of two men and a woman following an investigation into several budget-moving companies.

Police said two men were operating the businesses under different names, which include Move Me Again Transportation Inc., All you Can Move, Canadian Principal Movers, Safebound Moving & Storage, and O'Canada Movers.

Customers contacted the moving companies over the internet to avail of their services and were initially quoted a low-cost contract for the move, police said.

However, once their belongings were loaded into a vehicle, the customers were allegedly presented with paperwork with no final price.

Police said shortly after taking possession of the belongings, an employee of the company contacted the customers, informing them that the final bill for the service was thousands of dollars more than the original quote.

"The customers were told by the company that if they did not pay the full invoice that their property would be sold or disposed of," police said. They added that a legal representative of the businesses also called the customers, telling them they would not have access to their stuff until they paid.

Police further allege that in several cases, the company's owners and employees stole and disposed of some or all of the customers' belongings.

As a result of the investigation, 30-year-old Cemal Ozturk, 29-year-old Dogan Celik and 27-year-old Amethyst Jones were arrested and charged in June.

Toronto resident Amethyst Jones, 27, has been arrested in a Toronto moving scam. (TPS Handout)

On Saturday, police announced that the three are each facing 263 additional charges in connection with the investigation.

The charges include 72 counts of fraud under $5,000, 72 counts of attempted fraud under $5,000, 28 counts of fraud over $5,000 and 29 counts of possession of property obtained by the crime over $5,000.

Police also said that a fourth person, identified as 55-year-old Agatha Small, had been arrested in the case. She has been charged with mischief interfere with property over $5,000, theft over $5,000 and conspiracy to commit an indictable offence.

She was released on an undertaking with conditions and will make another court appearance next month.

Meanwhile, police noted that "all customer property has been identified and returned to the rightful owners and thanks the public for their assistance."

They continue to urge anyone with information to contact investigators at 416-808-4100 or Crime Stoppers anonymously at 416-222-TIPS (8477).