Latest news with #fraud
Globe and Mail
an hour ago
- Business
- Globe and Mail
Judge points to ‘tainted' process in Toronto's St. Michael's Hospital bidding process at Bondfield trial
The judge presiding over the trial of two men facing criminal fraud charges stemming from the $300-million redevelopment of Toronto's St. Michael's Hospital says the bidding process was 'tainted.' Vas Georgiou, former chief administrative officer of St. Michael's, and John Aquino, the former president of Bondfield Construction Co. Ltd., are each charged with two counts of fraud over $5,000. Both men have pleaded not guilty. 'What the public have lost is the belief that this very expensive procurement would be fair without interference by anybody, and what they have is something that stinks,' Justice Peter Bawden told an Ontario court on Thursday. The Superior Court of Justice case resumed this week after 24 days of testimony last November and December. Since then, Crown prosecutors and defence lawyers submitted written closing arguments amounting to 345 pages, and the hearing on Thursday was designed to allow the judge to address them. Justice Bawden described this week's hearing as 'a bit unorthodox,' but he said it would allow him to tell the court what he thinks about the voluminous written submissions while providing the lawyers with the opportunity to say if he is wrong. The judge is scheduled to deliver his verdict on Oct. 7. Justice Bawden said the public was counting on a fair competition for the hospital redevelopment. Instead, he said, 'the procurement is tainted because of the conduct of the two accused.' Bondfield president given 'insider information,' prosecution alleges in St. Michael's Hospital case The Crown's case against Mr. Georgiou and Mr. Aquino focuses on their alleged undisclosed business connections, as well as their alleged secret communications throughout the bidding process for the lucrative hospital project, which Bondfield won in 2015. These alleged communications took place over a e-mail address and a BlackBerry that Mr. Aquino gave to Mr. Georgiou. The Crown has alleged that Mr. Georgiou used the BlackBerry to leak confidential information about the procurement to Mr. Aquino. Prosecutors allege in their written submissions that the discovery of the electronic devices, set up for the purpose of communicating in secret about the hospital procurement, provide the 'most egregious examples of criminality.' Defence lawyers counter in their submissions that the Crown is overstating the secret nature of the BlackBerry, adding that breaking the rules is not always a criminal act. Justice Bawden said most of his big issues involve Mr. Georgiou, whose defence lawyer, Peter Brauti, fielded a number of questions from the judge. 'I fear that I could see a conviction of your client even if I largely accept his evidence,' Justice Bawden said. 'That makes me very nervous.' Former St. Michael's CEO testifies he was unaware of alleged secret messages between men accused of hospital-bid fraud Mr. Georgiou testified in his own defence last December. The judge noted that Mr. Georgiou's testimony revealed he was strongly motivated to further establish his reputation in the hospital procurement sector and get the St. Michael's expansion and renovation done. Justice Bawden told court that it was almost as though Mr. Georgiou had a conflict from the start: He wanted the procurement to succeed, but he was also a member of a hospital committee set up to impartially evaluate bids from construction companies competing for the project. But, the judge said, the existence of the BlackBerry and e-mail address causes him to see the conflicts in a different light. Had Mr. Aquino not been 'coached' by Mr. Georgiou, he speculated that perhaps the procurement should have failed or proceeded at a higher price. The only surviving content on Mr. Georgiou's e-mail account was communication between him and Mr. Aquino on the May, 2014, long weekend – three days before the deadline for hospital bids. On May 18, Mr. Georgiou advised Mr. Aquino to keep certain costs out of Bondfield's proposed price, explaining that he could 'always fight later when we are No. 1,' says one e-mail. Former St. Michael's Hospital executive promoted co-accused's company before it won project bid, court hears In their submission, Crown prosecutors note that Mr. Georgiou, a busy executive away with his wife for a personal trip in England during the long weekend, answered Mr. Aquino's questions. The fact that Mr. Georgiou brought the BlackBerry with him on a weekend away underscores the intensity of his ties to Mr. Aquino, prosecutors allege in their submission: 'He was ready and expecting to assist.' Alan Gold, Mr. Aquino's lawyer, told the court on Thursday that Bondfield's bid was done by the May long weekend and had nothing to do with anything Mr. Georgiou said in the e-mails. 'Whatever taint your honour sees is totally harmless,' he said. Mr. Brauti told the court Bondfield was the uncrowned winner of the procurement by May, 2014, because the other two rival companies had submitted bids well in excess of the budget. Any rule-breaking, he said, did not result in an unfair outcome. And if the outcome was fair, he said, there was no fraud. At the end of Thursday's hearing, Mr. Gold said the May, 2014 e-mail exchange between Mr. Aquino and Mr. Georgiou did not 'cost victims any money' and, therefore, did not constitute fraud. Special to The Globe and Mail
Malay Mail
an hour ago
- Malay Mail
Singapore police: More than 200 suspected scammers, money mules under investigation in SS$3.89m probe
SINGAPORE, June 20 — Over 220 individuals are being investigated by police for their alleged roles in scam operations that caused victims to lose more than S$3.89 million (RM12.87 million). The suspects — 153 men and 70 women, aged between 15 and 89 — are believed to be linked to more than 790 scam cases, police said in a statement yesterday, as reported by The Straits Times. The scams include friend impersonation, investment, job and e-commerce scams, as well as cases involving fraudsters posing as government officials or advertising fake rental properties. The arrests followed a two-week island-wide enforcement operation conducted from June 6 to 19 by officers from the Commercial Affairs Department and the seven police land divisions. Police said the suspects are being investigated for offences including cheating, money laundering and providing unlicensed payment services. Those convicted of cheating can face up to 10 years in jail and a fine. The penalty for money laundering is up to 10 years' imprisonment, a fine of up to S$500,000, or both. Providing payment services without a licence carries a jail term of up to three years, a fine of up to S$125,000, or both.
Yahoo
4 hours ago
- Yahoo
11 charged in Toronto taxi scam that allegedly defrauded customers of over $500K
Eleven people have been arrested and charged after a Toronto police investigation into a taxi scam that allegedly defrauded more than $500,000 from unsuspecting customers over 10 months. The 11, accused of being part of a criminal network that exploited members of the public, face 108 charges. At a news conference on Thursday, police said the investigation called Project Fare began last July after police received multiple reports by victims of the taxi scam. Initially, police identified 61 incidents of fraud, but that number quickly grew to more than 300. Det. David Coffey, spokesperson for the Toronto Police Service, told reporters that the suspects masqueraded as taxi drivers using vehicles that were modified to look like licensed cabs. Coffey said unsuspecting customers got into what they thought were legitimate taxi cabs only to find out that they were scammed after they paid their fares. "Unsuspecting victims were picked up and asked to pay for the ride using a credit or debit card. During the transaction, the suspects discreetly swapped the victim's card with a card that looked like theirs. The real card and their PIN is then passed on to accomplices," Coffey said. "These fraudsters used the stolen cards and PINs to withdraw funds from ATMs, deposit fraudulent checks to artificially inflate account balances and make high value purchases, including electronics, gift cards and luxury clothing." At the news conference, police displayed some of the items that the fraudsters purchased and that police seized during the investigation. On May 21, members of the police's financial crimes unit, with help from officers from various divisions, carried out three search warrants at addresses linked to the accused. Police made arrests and seized several point-of-sale terminals, high end clothing, electronics, artwork, several bank cards and vehicles resembling taxis. The suspects include 10 men and one woman from the Greater Toronto Area, ranging from 19 to 50 years old. The charges include fraud over $5,000 and possession of proceeds of crime over $5,000. Police said they are still looking for two male suspects and a female considered a person of interest in the case. News of arrests brings relief to cab company Kristine Hubbard, operations manager for Beck Taxi, said after the news conference that she is relieved that police have laid charges. "I'm just really relieved to know that this was taken seriously and that it's been dealt with," Hubbard said. "When someone defrauds or engages in criminal activity in the name of legitimate services, it's pretty heartbreaking and it's pretty defeating." Hubbard said she has advice for customers. "Nobody's saying no to cash. That's number one. And if someone has a point of sale terminal, it can't accept debit and not credit, right? So our debit terminals or point of sale terminals are clearly branded," she said. "They have the Beck branding on them and they take debit and credit. If somehow a massive cell outage happens, obviously that's affecting the whole city, that might be the case where there's no debit and no credit, but there's never one and not the other." Also, she said customers should never let their debit cards out of sight and it should not leave their hands. Customers should also look for a brand that they trust and look at vehicle numbers to identify legitimate taxis, she said.
Wall Street Journal
5 hours ago
- Business
- Wall Street Journal
Exposing ObamaCare Subsidy Fraud
Bigger government invariably creates more opportunities for fraud. Exhibit A is the ObamaCare insurance subsidy racket, which a new Paragon Health Institute report finds has resulted in some 6.4 million people this year receiving free health insurance to which they aren't entitled. Enrollment in the ObamaCare exchanges ballooned after Democrats sweetened subsidies in 2021. The 2021 law capped how much households are required to pay toward their premiums as a share of income on a sliding basis. Households get a tax credit that covers the difference between their plan premium and what they are required to pay.
CBC
5 hours ago
- CBC
11 charged in Toronto taxi scam that allegedly defrauded customers of over $500K
Eleven people have been arrested and charged after a Toronto police investigation into a taxi scam that allegedly defrauded more than $500,000 from unsuspecting customers over 10 months. The 11, accused of being part of a criminal network that exploited members of the public, face 108 charges. At a news conference on Thursday, police said the investigation called Project Fare began last July after police received multiple reports by victims of the taxi scam. Initially, police identified 61 incidents of fraud, but that number quickly grew to more than 300. Det. David Coffey, spokesperson for the Toronto Police Service, told reporters that the suspects masqueraded as taxi drivers using vehicles that were modified to look like licensed cabs. Coffey said unsuspecting customers got into what they thought were legitimate taxi cabs only to find out that they were scammed after they paid their fares. "Unsuspecting victims were picked up and asked to pay for the ride using a credit or debit card. During the transaction, the suspects discreetly swapped the victim's card with a card that looked like theirs. The real card and their PIN is then passed on to accomplices," Coffey said. "These fraudsters used the stolen cards and PINs to withdraw funds from ATMs, deposit fraudulent checks to artificially inflate account balances and make high value purchases, including electronics, gift cards and luxury clothing." At the news conference, police displayed some of the items that the fraudsters purchased and that police seized during the investigation. On May 21, members of the police's financial crimes unit, with help from officers from various divisions, carried out three search warrants at addresses linked to the accused. Police made arrests and seized several point-of-sale terminals, high end clothing, electronics, artwork, several bank cards and vehicles resembling taxis. The suspects include 10 men and one woman from the Greater Toronto Area, ranging from 19 to 50 years old. The charges include fraud over $5,000 and possession of proceeds of crime over $5,000. Police said they are still looking for two male suspects and a female considered a person of interest in the case. News of arrests brings relief to cab company Kristine Hubbard, operations manager for Beck Taxi, said after the news conference that she is relieved that police have laid charges. "I'm just really relieved to know that this was taken seriously and that it's been dealt with," Hubbard said. "When someone defrauds or engages in criminal activity in the name of legitimate services, it's pretty heartbreaking and it's pretty defeating." Hubbard said she has advice for customers. "Nobody's saying no to cash. That's number one. And if someone has a point of sale terminal, it can't accept debit and not credit, right? So our debit terminals or point of sale terminals are clearly branded," she said. "They have the Beck branding on them and they take debit and credit. If somehow a massive cell outage happens, obviously that's affecting the whole city, that might be the case where there's no debit and no credit, but there's never one and not the other." Also, she said customers should never let their debit cards out of sight and it should not leave their hands.
