Third person charged in alleged scheme to defraud government of millions from COVID-19 relief fund
A third person is facing charges in connection with an alleged scheme to defraud millions from the Ontario government's COVID-19 relief funds.
The Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) announced the new arrest on Tuesday, saying that earlier in the day 54-year-old suspect had been taken into custody.
On Monday, two former provincial employees were arrested in connection the alleged scheme.
OPP say they began an investigation in August 2020 after receiving a referral from the Ontario Ministry of Education regarding allegations of fraud relating to the Support for Families Program.
The program offered parents a payout to help offset the costs of keeping kids at home during the COVID-19 pandemic.
The charges come a year after the province launched a civil claim against four family members, alleging they defrauded the government of at least $11 million destined to be COVID-19 relief money.
According to the unproven civil action, an information technology employee and his family opened more than 400 bank accounts between April and May 2020 and deposited about 10,000 cheques that were made out to fake parents of non-existent children.
In January 2021, the government further accused the employee of accepting about $10 million in secret commissions by steering government consulting contracts to companies he or an associate controlled.
In a statement of defence filed in March 2021, the employee put the blame on the province for having alleged lax security measures that allowed for the misappropriation of the funds.
In a news release issued on Monday, OPP investigators say that their Anti-Rackets Branch arrested two former Ontario Public Service employees in connection with the investigation, noting that the size and scope of the fraud was "significantly more complex than first identified."
Sanjay Madan, 56, was charged with two counts of breach of trust, two counts of fraud over $5,000, money laundering and possession of property obtained by crime over $5,000, while Shalini Madan, 52, has been charged with money laundering and possession of property obtained by crime over $5,000.
Both employees have been fired from their positions within the Ontario government.
Police said Tuesday that the third suspect, Vidhan Singh, has been charged with fraud over $5,000, money laundering, and possession of property over $5,000.
The charges have not been proven in court.
With files from CTV News Toronto's Katherine DeClerq and The Canadian Press.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
BREAKING Alice Munro, Nobel literature winner revered as short story master, dead at 92
Nobel laureate Alice Munro, the Canadian literary giant who became one of the world's most esteemed contemporary authors and one of history's most honoured short story writers, has died at age 92.
Latest updates on air quality alerts, and when the smoke may reach Ontario and Quebec
Wildfires have led Environment Canada to issue air quality advisories for parts of B.C., Alberta, Manitoba, Saskatchewan and the Northwest Territories, as forecasters warn the smoke could drift farther east.
Are these Canada's best restaurants? Annual top 100 list revealed
The annual list of Canada's top restaurants in the country was just released and here are the places that made the 2024 cut.
Attack on prison van in France kills 2 officers, inmate escapes
Armed assailants killed two French prison officers and seriously wounded three others in an attack on a convoy in Normandy on Tuesday and an inmate escaped, officials said.
Maximum payout for LifeLabs class-action drops from $150 estimate to $7.86
Canadian LifeLabs customers who filed an application for a class-action settlement began receiving their payments this week, though at a much lower amount than initially expected.
Steal a car, lose your driver's licence for 10 years under new Ontario proposal
Repeat car thieves may face lengthy licence bans under proposed changes to Ontario’s Highway Traffic Act.
$1.6B parts plant for Honda electric vehicle batteries coming to Niagara Region
A Japanese company has announced it will build an approximately $1.6-billion plant in Ontario's Niagara Region that will make a key electric vehicle battery component as part of Honda's supply chain in the province.
B.C. brings in law on name changes on day that child killer's new identity revealed
The BC NDP have tabled legislation aimed at stopping people who have committed certain heinous acts from changing their names.
Manitoba premier to visit areas impacted by wildfire
Manitoba Premier Wab Kinew will get a close-up look at the devastation from a large wildfire burning in northern Manitoba Tuesday.