Two Laval men suspects in alleged Toronto fraud scheme
A Laval man is one of several people charged by the Toronto Police Department following a year-long investigation of an employment fraud scheme where victims deposited fraudsters’ fake cheques but ended up losing cash of their own.
Enosch Falaise, 32, of Laval, Que. is charged with having instruments for counterfeiting, possession of proceeds of crime, and fraud over $5,000.
Jerry Revolus, 29, also of Laval is charged with fraud over $5,000 and conspiracy to commit an indictable offence.
Toronto police said that in February of last year, they received a number of complaints about a “sophisticated scam” targeting people in the Greater Toronto Area.
The investigation, referred to as Project Drop, found that individuals were repeatedly sending out hundreds of thousands of text messages to cell phones across Toronto advertising employment opportunities for couriers.
The texts claimed that interested applicants could work for a small lending company by delivering loans.
Victims were instructed to pick up and deposit what they thought were legitimate business cheques, then pay funds to other individuals in cash, Bitcoin or e-transfer. Police said that all of the cheques were eventually discovered to be elaborate forgeries.
LPD still on the lookout for pervert, after Chomedey woman’s report
A spokesperson for the Laval Police Department says they are continuing to work on a dossier involving a middle-aged male suspect who may have performed an indecent act in a public place late last year, but they are waiting for additional information to move forward.
A woman from Chomedey (whose name we are withholding to protect her identity) contacted the Laval News last week to say that last Dec. 29 she filed a police report because of a man who was following her performing a publicly indecent act on himself in his car.
“He then drove recklessly a block in reverse trying to hide his plate,” she said. “I provided all information to the police as well as his plate and his photo. All evidence.
“I have heard nothing from the Laval police department,” she added. “Here’s hoping you’ll be able to maybe bring some attention to this situation and help protect the public.”
The Laval News contacted the LPD last week. LPD community relations officer Évelyne Boudreau replied and had this to say in response.
“What I can see in the police file is that we did meet up with her and took from her a declaration of the situation,” said Boudreau.
“But since she says that the guy was hiding so that she wouldn’t see him, it’s not the usual exhibitionist,” she added.
“But we still do have the plate number and a description of the individual and the police report is between the hands of the lieutenant-detective in the squad for reports of a sexual nature.”
Officers injured in 180 km. car chase into Laurentians
Police in the Laurentians arrested a man in his 40s on the afternoon of March 4 after he led them on a 180-kilometre chase from Laval to Rivière-Rouge, damaging four police cars and injuring two police officers while at it.
The adventure started around 8:35 am that morning when the LPD received a call regarding an armed theft that had taken place a short time before at a dépanneur in Sainte-Dorothée.
When the suspect’s debit card wouldn’t complete a payment transaction for food he was trying to buy, he got into a fight and injured the attendant then fled.
The man’s truck, a GMC Sierra, was spotted by LPD patrol cars shortly afterwards, making its way northward along Autoroute 13. He managed to evade them, after colliding with the police vehicles and injuring an officer.
The Sûreté du Québec later caught up with the suspect, although he also collided with their vehicles and an SQ officer was seriously injured.
After unsuccessfully trying to stop him with a nail carpet laid down on the highway, police finally caught up to the suspect in Rivière-Rouge where he lived. He now faces a range of charges, including armed theft, fleeing the police, car theft and dangerous driving.
