NEWS RELEASE
YORK REGIONAL POLICE
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Investigators with the York Regional Police Financial Crimes Unit, working in conjunction with the Durham Regional Police Service (DRPS), the Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA) and several other partners, have charged four people and recovered 10 high-end vehicles in Project Rover.
Project Rover ran from November 2020 to February 2021, after members of the Financial Crimes Unit identified a criminal organization involved in a complex scheme of fraudulent financing on high-end motor vehicles, which were later shipped out of Canada and sold overseas.
Following the execution of several search warrants in York and Durham Regions and in the City of Toronto, investigators seized a total of 10 vehicles valued at $463,000 and more than $105,000 in Canadian currency.
Investigators worked with law enforcement partners from the (CBSA), Homeland Security Investigations, US Customs and Border Protection, the Ministry of Transportation, the Ontario Motor Vehicle Industry Council, Passport Intelligence Canada and the DRPS, as well as numerous financial institutions.
The DRPS was already involved in its own investigation, named Project Navigator, which overlapped organized criminal groups. Both YRP and DRPS engaged in a collaborative effort to successfully dismantle and disrupt these criminal enterprises.
The following suspects have been charged. This investigation is ongoing.
CHARGED:
- Massud Sharaf, 41, of North York
CHARGES:
- Fraud over $5,000 x3
- Identity fraud x3
- Utter forged documents x3
- False pretense x3
- Possess identity documents x3
- Possession of property obtained by crime x3
CHARGED:
- Younes Zuregat, 43, of North York
CHARGES:
- Possession of property obtained by crime x8
CHARGED:
- Massiullah Kohgadai, 42, of Newmarket
CHARGES:
- Possession of property obtained by crime x 4
CHARGED:
- Sivalingam Amarasingam, 53, of Pickering
CHARGES:
- Possession of property obtained by crime x 4
Anyone with information is asked to contact the York Regional Police Financial Crimes Unit at 1-866-876-5423, ext. 6612, or call Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-tips or leave an anonymous tip online at www.1800222tips.com.
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