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Fraud, forgery charges laid against owners of shuttered money-transfer company

Fraud, forgery charges laid against owners of shuttered money-transfer company

York police have arrested and charged the owners of a now-defunct financial transfer company who were wanted on a Canada-wide arrest warrant after customers allegedly lost hundreds of thousands of dollars.

Police began their investigation into Mabini Express in January 2018, when they were contacted by an alleged victim who said she had used the company to transfer funds to family in the Philippines. She told them that several days after completing the transaction, she learned her family had not received the money.

When she tried to contact the company, according to police, she learned that it was closed.

After this victim came forward, police began receiving more reports of alleged fraud by Mabini Express. In total, police say 36 people lost a combined total of more than $300,000.

In early December, police issued a Canada-wide warrant for two suspects.

On Jan. 28, RCMP in Vancouver arrested both of them. On Feb. 2, investigators with the York Regional Police financial crimes unit travelled to Vancouver International Airport to take custody of the accused and return them to Ontario.

A Toronto man, aged 66, and a Toronto woman, aged 69, are each facing numerous charges:

  • Fraud over $5,000.

  • Four counts of uttering forged document.

  • Four counts of forgery.

They are scheduled to appear in court in Newmarket on Feb. 28.