10 busted, more sought in huge loan scam
DURHAM -- An investigation begun earlier this year in Pickering has led to the dismantling of a large-scale loan fraud operation that police say defrauded hundreds of victims of more than $2 million.
The probe began in February and culminated with arrests on charges of fraud, conspiracy to commit an indictable offence and participation in a criminal organization, as well as other offences. More than 20 people have been charged or have had warrants issued for their arrest. Investigators have uncovered numerous fraudulent businesses through which the scammers bilked victims looking for easy loans, Durham police said.
Drugs including cocaine and ecstasy and a semi-automatic handgun were seized when cops executed search warrants July 24 in Pickering, Ajax and Toronto.
Police allege the accused were part of a criminal enterprise that lured victims by placing ads in newspapers in the United States, offering loans for people with poor credit ratings. Victims were directed to websites that touted phony companies, advising would-be customers to apply online.
Victims were informed they'd been approved for loans and then instructed to forward money either for insurance or a pre-payment equal to several months' loan payments.
Victims never received the loans they'd applied for and were out the money they sent to secure the funds, police said.
The investigation began in February when Durham cops acting on a tip searched a residence on Hollyhedge Drive in Pickering and uncovered evidence of the scam. Investigators identified a number of suspects at that time and spent the next several months building their case.
Durham and Toronto cops executed search warrants July 24 at addresses on Whites Road in Pickering and The Esplanade in Toronto, allegedly catching suspects at work on the scam when they arrived. Officers also searched a residence on Field Crescent in Ajax and on Golf Club Road in Scarborough, seizing documents and office equipment, as well as drugs and a handgun.
Charged are: Tawnya Neal, 23, Field Crescent, Ajax; Abena Romain, 28, McCarrick Avenue, Ajax; Christopher Blake, 33, Alford Crescent, Scarborough; Hester Millington, 51, Whites Road, Pickering; Vanessa Alibaksh, 28, Toronto; Vidya Persaud, 24, Marshcourt Drive, Pickering; Joseph Dublin-Manswell, 22, Anchorage Drive, Whitby; Cameron Ricketts, 23, Chalmers Crescent, Ajax; Shervon Dayle, 24, Whites Road, Pickering and Dennis Jackson, 34, Wildwood Crescent, Pickering.
Warrants have been issued for several other suspects.