Edmonton businesswoman fined, put on house arrest for scamming newcomers
An Ontario woman working in Edmonton has been convicted of defrauding newcomers of tens of thousands of dollars.
Maneet 'Mani' Malhotra, the entrepreneur behind NAMI Immigration Inc., has to pay $148,000 in victim restitution and also received an 18-month conditional sentence, including six months of house arrest.
Canada Border Services Agency began investigating her in 2019 after a referral from Alberta's Temporary Foreign Worker Advisory Office.
CBSA found Malhotra was paid $30,000 by one client and $45,000 by another to arrange work in Alberta.
"Instead of receiving jobs, they were forced into a scheme where they were required to pay for fraudulent pay stubs," CBSA said in a news release Monday.
CBSA investigators also found other instances in which Malhotra charged for immigration services, including fake job offers and forged documents.
She was not a registered immigration consultant or practicing lawyer.
CBSA searched NAMI Immigration in December 2019, finding fraudulent documents and other client information.
She was charged on April 21, 2023, and arrested at her home in Mississauga, Ont., on May 1, 2023.
She pleaded guilty to charging for immigration services without the legal authorization to do so in Edmonton on April 8.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Walmart, Costco refusing to sign grocery code of conduct 'untenable': industry minister
Industry Minister Francois-Philippe Champagne says it's 'untenable' for 'smaller players' like Walmart and Costco to delay signing on to the government- and industry-led grocery code of conduct, now that industry giant Loblaw has agreed to do so.
Robbers made off with 'several million euros' of jewels in armed heist at Harry Winston store in Paris
Armed robbers who used a motorbike as a battering ram made off with 'several million euros' worth of valuables in a heist of the luxury Paris boutique of self-declared 'Jeweler to the Stars' Harry Winston, the French prosecutor’s office overseeing the police probe said.
Serious boat crash kills 3, injures 5 on the Buck Bay area of Bobs Lake: OPP
Three people were killed and five others were injured Saturday night following a boat crash on the Buck Bay area of Bobs Lake, north of Kingston, Ont., the Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) said.
The secret Italian lakes that most tourists don't know about
Italy has dozens of secret smaller lakes that boast superb scenery, unknown to mass tourism, where locals get together on day trips and enjoy picnics.
Helicopter carrying Iran's president suffers a 'hard landing,' state TV says without further details
A helicopter carrying Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi suffered a 'hard landing' on Sunday, Iranian state media reported, without immediately elaborating.
Signs of Alzheimer’s were everywhere. Then his brain improved
Blood biomarkers of telltale signs of early Alzheimer’s disease in the brain of his patient, 55-year-old entrepreneur Simon Nicholls, had all but disappeared in a mere 14 months.
Woman killed in Montreal's Saint-Michel district: ex-husband arrested
Less than 24 hours after Montreal's 12th homicide investigation began, Montreal police confirmed that a 55-year-old woman's death in St. Michel is the island's 13th homicide.
Canadian immigration asks medical worker fleeing Gaza if he treated Hamas fighters
Lawyers are questioning Canada’s approach to screening visa applications for people in Gaza with extended family in Canada after one applicant, a medical worker, was asked whether he had treated members of Hamas.
Ottawa driver who appeared to be racing another vehicle on Highway 416 facing charges
The Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) says an Ottawa driver is facing charges after being caught going 187 km/h on Highway 416.