Two guilty, two back in court in fake Trucking school case
November 12 judge and jury trial for Gurpreet, Gurvinder Singh
Two of the four men charged with operating fake Trucking schools and issuing counterfeit documentation to attendees between 2019 and 2021 have been indicted and sentenced.
Charanjit Deol, Jagjeet Deol, Gurpreet Singh and Gurvinder Singh were charged with defrauding person of money or services exceeding the value of $5000 contrary to section 380(1)(a) of Canada’s criminal code.
“In the Province of Ontario and elsewhere in Canada, did by deceit, falsehood or other fraudulent means defraud a person of property, money or services,” read the charges laid against the men. They “did knowingly use or deal with or act upon forged documents, as if they were genuine, contrary to section 368 of the Criminal Code.”
All of the men were arrested in November, 2021.
Charanjit Deol pled guilty on June 24th, 2024 and was sentenced to Conditional discharge with 12 months of probation.
Jagjeet Deol pled guilty and was sentenced to two years less one day conditional sentencing followed by 36 months of probation.
Both men were ordered to pay a $200.00 surcharge to their victims.
Gurpreet Singh and Gurvinder Singh will appear in court again on November 12, 2024. The order notes that Punjabi translators will be required as all witnesses for the judge and jury trial are Punjabi-speaking.
The court case stems from an investigation initiated following information provided to the police by the Société d’Assurance Automobile du Québec (SAAQ) and the Canada Border Services Agency (ASFC), mobilized police officers from the Sûreté du Québec and the Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) in 2019.
The suspects allowed their foreign clients to obtain a class 5 (passenger vehicle) and possibly a class 1 (heavy goods vehicle) driver’s license from the SAAQ, using falsified documents.
Another scheme uncovered during the investigation involved individuals operating unlicensed schools and delivering unauthorized training to students in Ontario and Quebec.
The suspects allowed their foreign clients to obtain a class 5 (passenger vehicle) and possibly a class 1 (heavy goods vehicle) driver’s license from the SAAQ, using falsified documents.
The investigation focused on fraudulent licensing activities, which circumvented the processes of the Ministry of Transportation and Ministry of Colleges and Universities.
The OPP’s investigation revealed three major components of a serious fraudulent scheme, significantly impacting the safety of Canadian highways:
- use of an interpreter to fraudulently complete required licensing knowledge tests
- non-Ontario residents applying for an Ontario driver’s licence
- circumvention of the Mandatory Entry Level Training (MELT) standard
The investigation carried out by the Financial Crime Investigation Division of the Sûreté du Québec led to the filing of charges against people who operated mainly in the regions of Montreal, Laval and the Ontario border with Quebec. The suspects first appeared in court on May 18th, 2022.
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Also read “There are many more” fake trucking schools: TTSAO
