York police dismantle $10 million fraud ring
Investigators with the York (Ontario) Regional Police Major Fraud Unit, in partnership with the Canada Border Services Agency and the Ontario Ministry of Transportation, have arrested 14 suspects and laid 145 charges following a lengthy investigation into a multi-million dollar fraud ring.
In July 2011, members of the York Regional Police Major Fraud Unit began an investigation into an organized group responsible for defrauding financial institutions, corporations, government agencies and insurance companies by using legitimate government identification obtained with forged foreign passports.
The three-month investigation identified numerous suspects who had used the passports to defraud banks by opening accounts under false names, staging motor vehicle collisions to defraud the insurance industry and leasing vehicles under aliases in order to defraud leasing companies.
The initiative concluded with the arrest of Vladimir Loginov who is allegedly responsible for forging foreign passports, which were used in frauds totaling more than $10-million over the past 10 years in the Greater Toronto Area.
During the course of the initiative, a total of five search warrants were executed. While executing a warrant in the Town of Aurora, investigators uncovered a fully-functional document forgery laboratory believed to be operated by Loginov.
Investigators also seized 12 valid foreign passports believed to be used by Loginov and his associates.
At the conclusion of the investigation, officers had seized items including more than $50,000 in cash, a motor vehicle, a boat, two conducted energy weapons, a handgun, foreign passports, Ontario driver’s licences, official government stamps and chemicals used to forge documents.
In addition, two suspects were deported after being convicted in court and another 20 suspects have been identified by police. Those suspects are currently being sought for arrest.
The Insurance Bureau of Canada’s Vice-President, Investigative Services, Rick Dubin congratulated York Regional Police for slicing off ”another major tentacle of fraud”.
“Organized insurance fraud is big business in Ontario and, specifically, the GTA,” said Dubin. “And their crimes drive up the cost of insurance for everyone.”
