- Aug 6, 2012
- 28,053
- 24,851
- 2,405
Another scumbag without morals. They seem to breed here like rabbits.
A former Toronto court clerk pleaded guilty Wednesday for his role in a so-called traffic ticket-fixing scheme that defrauded the city of thousands of dollars in fines.
At a hearing before a judge alone in the Superior Court of Justice, Francesco Rizzello pleaded guilty to one count of fraud over $5,000, stemming from his altering of more than 100 records while working at the Eglinton Avenue West courthouse in the first half of 2018.
According to an agreed statement of facts, Rizzello took at least $7,000 in cash payments from a paralegal to change convictions to acquittals or dismissals, in turn allowing the paralegal to tell their clients that their cases had been won.
Court heard the paralegal wouldn't tell their client about a court date, meaning no one would show up from the defence to fight the ticket before a justice of the peace. The justice would then most likely convict the client "in absentia," a typical outcome when an accused fails to attend a court date.
With advance notice, Rizzello would then alter the record to show the charge was withdrawn or dismissed, or that the accused was acquitted. He would receive $50 each time he did this, the statement of facts said.
The charges were all related to Highway Traffic Act offences, and included things like careless driving, distracted driving and speeding. The scheme cost the City of Toronto roughly $15,000 in fines and thousands in other expenses related to its internal investigation, court heard, which began in April 2018 after an anonymous tip.
A former Toronto court clerk pleaded guilty Wednesday for his role in a so-called traffic ticket-fixing scheme that defrauded the city of thousands of dollars in fines.
At a hearing before a judge alone in the Superior Court of Justice, Francesco Rizzello pleaded guilty to one count of fraud over $5,000, stemming from his altering of more than 100 records while working at the Eglinton Avenue West courthouse in the first half of 2018.
According to an agreed statement of facts, Rizzello took at least $7,000 in cash payments from a paralegal to change convictions to acquittals or dismissals, in turn allowing the paralegal to tell their clients that their cases had been won.
Court heard the paralegal wouldn't tell their client about a court date, meaning no one would show up from the defence to fight the ticket before a justice of the peace. The justice would then most likely convict the client "in absentia," a typical outcome when an accused fails to attend a court date.
With advance notice, Rizzello would then alter the record to show the charge was withdrawn or dismissed, or that the accused was acquitted. He would receive $50 each time he did this, the statement of facts said.
The charges were all related to Highway Traffic Act offences, and included things like careless driving, distracted driving and speeding. The scheme cost the City of Toronto roughly $15,000 in fines and thousands in other expenses related to its internal investigation, court heard, which began in April 2018 after an anonymous tip.
