2024 Year in Review
Serious Fraud Office 2024 Year in Review
This Year in Review provides a snapshot of the SFO's activities, performance, and strategic developments in 2024.
SERIOUS FRAUD OFFICE BY THE NUMBERS
Enforcement
The SFO demonstrated its commitment to fighting financial crime by starting five new investigations. A total of 24 individuals were charged with 93 serious offences.
Asset Recovery
As a result of the SFO’s work, courts charged fines of $282,759 and compensation orders totalling $1,267,255. The SFO also recovered an additional $79,786 before charges were determined. These outcomes demonstrate the SFO’s commitment to both offender accountability and victim compensation.
Operational Efficiency
The SFO continued to operate within R. v. Jordan timelines, which are the Supreme Court of Canada’s suggested time limits for adult criminal court cases to be completed. All SFO cases were successfully resolved, reflecting the SFO’s efforts to process cases efficiently within the timelines set out in the Charter.
Victim Assistance
Recognizing the impact of financial crimes on individuals, the SFO helped 3,404 victims with investigative and legal processes. This support included providing case progress information, guidance on resources and assistance in preparing victim impact statements.
Fraud Prevention
Public awareness campaigns remained a crucial part of fraud prevention. In 2024, the SFO delivered 22 fraud prevention education sessions to the public. Almost half of these initiatives were targeted toward elderly persons and other vulnerable groups. These initiatives gave Ontario residents information on fraud prevention strategies and awareness of common frauds.
Specialized Training Programs
The SFO offered 13 specialized training programs to support Ontario’s law enforcement community. These programs covered a wide range of topics, including legal foundations of fraud offences, forensic accounting, cryptocurrency, strategic use of judicial authorizations, bank records analysis, money laundering, solicitor-client privilege issues and strategies for working with large volumes of data. Additional sessions focused on specific aspects of fraud investigation such as real estate oversight, securities regulation, and payment processing systems. A total of 640 representatives from Ontario law enforcement agencies attended these sessions, demonstrating the SFO’s commitment to fostering a collaborative and effective approach to tackling sophisticated financial crimes.
2024 BY THE NUMBERS
INVESTIGATIONS & PROSECUTIONS
The total value of the fines that offenders were ordered to pay because they had spent or hidden the proceeds of their crimes.
The amount of restitution ordered to be paid to victims.
The percentage of cases successfully resolved within R. v. Jordan timelines.
The number of charges laid.
The number of people arrested and charged.
ADJUNCT & SUPPORT SERVICES
The total number of victim support interactions.
The number of SFO-led education and training events attended by partners and stakeholders.
Policing partner attendance across education and training events facilitated by the SFO Education and Training Program.
The number of times the SFO provided fraud prevention education to the public, including vulnerable groups.
INVESTIGATIONS AND PROSECUTIONS
Several key investigations demonstrated the SFO’s efforts to fight financial crimes:
- Project Sharp: A multi-jurisdictional investigation of an alleged emergency scam (commonly known as the “grandparent scam”) across Canada. The scheme involved individuals alleged to have contacted elderly victims while pretending to be their grandchild or other relative in distress, claiming they needed immediate financial help for an emergency such as bail, legal fees or hospital bills. The investigation resulted in the arrest of 15 individuals with 56 charges laid. The project demonstrated strong collaboration across 11 Ontario and Quebec police services.
- Project Nettle: An investigation on alleged predatory door-to-door sales tactics and liens and mortgages targeting elderly Ontario residents. The SFO identified more than 500 victims across the province. The SFO arrested and charged four individuals, including door-to-door salespeople and a lawyer alleged to be involved in the scheme.
- Project Ingram: An investigation of an alleged credit card “bust out” scheme with a value of $595,000. An individual allegedly received credit from a financial institution misrepresenting his company’s assets and income, then built up increasing credit balances before leaving the entire account unpaid following a shopping spree at various luxury stores. The SFO arrested and charged the individual with fraud over $5,000 and use of a forged document.
- Project Routledge: An investigation into alleged fake applications made to the Ontario government’s COVID-19 relief grant programs, including the Ontario Small Business Support Grant, Property Tax Rebate and Energy Cost Rebate programs. The investigation ended with seven individuals charged with 18 criminal counts, including fraud over $5,000, possession of property obtained by crime, using forged documents and disobeying court orders.
Prosecutions Concluded in 2024
- R. v. Voss: On June 4, 2024, David Voss, the leader of a forgery ring responsible for creating and distributing fake artworks falsely identified as the works of celebrated Indigenous artist Norval Morrisseau, pleaded guilty to one count of forgery and one count of uttering forged documents. The scheme operated in Thunder Bay from 2006 to 2010 and included the creation of thousands of fake paintings known as the “Voss Ring Forgeries”. On September 5, 2024, Mr. Voss was sentenced to five years’ imprisonment. Numerous forged works were ordered seized by the court.
- R. v. Mulville: Raymond Mulville claimed he was a licensed investment advisor and defrauded his clients in eastern Ontario of more than $600,000. He was never registered to trade securities and used client funds for personal expenses. After a multi-week trial, he was found guilty of six counts of fraud, six counts of possession of proceeds of property obtained by crime and one count of identity fraud. On December 12, 2024, he was sentenced to six years in prison, barred from financial roles for 15 years and ordered to pay back $282,759 and a matching fine instead of forfeiture.
- R. v. Qureshi: Mariam Qureshi was convicted of defrauding the public through a fake charity called the Afghan Refugee Relief Organization. The scheme, led by her mother, targeted people looking for immigration or refugee sponsorship. It ran for more than 10 years and collected more than $1 million. On January 12, 2024, Mariam Qureshi was sentenced to three and a half years in jail and ordered to pay back $946,083.99.
- R. v. Dufresne: On December 18, 2024, Damien Dufresne pleaded guilty to one count of fraud over $5,000 for his role in the “grandparent scam.” He admitted to renting call locations, coordinating pickups and transporting funds. He received a 12-month conditional sentence followed by 12 months’ probation.
- R. v. Revolus: Between 2020 and 2021, Jerry Revolus and his accomplices defrauded more than 80 people in Toronto of more than $330,000 via a courier scam. He was sentenced in 2022 to 18 months in jail, two years’ probation and repayment of $84,496. He was also barred from financial roles. His 2024 appeal to serve the sentence in the community was dismissed.
SPOTLIGHT ON FRAUD PREVENTION
- After uncovering predatory door-to-door sales practices in Project Nettle, the SFO launched a targeted campaign on CP24 from March 18 to June 9, 2024, warning the public about door-to-door fraud.
- Following Project Sharp, the SFO’s Crime Prevention Team launched emergency fraud awareness ads on 65 transit buses in Mississauga, Ottawa, Toronto and York Region from June 17 to July 24, 2024.
STRATEGIC INNOVATIONS
In 2024, the SFO launched several initiatives to strengthen its capabilities and modernize service delivery and public communication:
- Academic Partnership: The SFO partnered with King’s University College at Western University to study how older adults experience fraud and how best to support them.
- Cryptocurrency Seizure Course: In partnership with the OPP Cyber-Enabled Fraud Team, the SFO began developing a training course to help law enforcement manage cryptocurrency-related frauds.
- Victim Portal: The SFO developed a secure, invite-only portal to enable victims to access case updates and communicate with victim liaisons from the SFO Investigation Branch. The portal supports the Canadian Victims Bill of Rights and the Ontario Victims' Bill of Rights through enhanced privacy, timely information and participation in the justice process.
- SFO Website: The SFO also prepared for the 2025 launch of the SFO website. This website serves as a public resource, offering education materials, fraud prevention guidance and information on how to report fraud.