Toronto cop, suspended with pay since 2020, gets conditional sentence for fraud scheme to stage car accidents, thefts

shockedcanadian

Diamond Member
Joined
Aug 6, 2012
Messages
37,663
Reaction score
36,141
Points
2,905
He broke the law and was paid $100k a year for staying at home as "punishment". He probably also had his legal fees paid.

Canadas Security Industrial Complex strikes again, while the working stiff pays for the privilege of their persecution.

We are NOT your ally.


A Toronto police constable who concocted a multi-participant scheme to defraud multiple insurance companies by staging vehicle thefts and accidents has received a conditional sentence of two years less a day, to be served in the community.
Ronald Joseph, who has been suspended with pay for nearly five years, was “the linchpin of a fraudulent scheme motivated entirely by greed. He broke the very laws that, as a police officer, he was entrusted to enforce,” Superior Court Justice Andrew Pinto said Wednesday, reading his reasons for sentence at the downtown courthouse.



He added that while Joseph avoided jail, his sentence is nevertheless a “significant punishment,” consistent with jurisprudence.
Because Joseph is a police officer, his sentence must be more severe than the ordinary person who commits the same offence, Pinto said.
Joseph has been suspended with pay since his arrest in June 2020. He still faces internal disciplinary charges and possible dismissal.
A police spokeswoman told the Star in an email Wednesday she was looking into Joseph’s current status with the service.

According to the Ontario public sector salary disclosure, he was paid more than $100,000 while suspended with pay in each of 2021, 2022, 2023 and 2024. (At the time of his arrest, the Police Services Act only allowed suspension without pay after a conviction with a jail sentence.)
On the first day of an eight-week trial last fall, Joseph pleaded guilty to three counts of attempted fraud over $5,000 and one count of public mischief, admitting he claimed damages for alleged vehicle thefts or accidents that in reality he had staged. The fraud scheme was ultimately foiled by insurance companies who conducted their own extensive internal investigation and identified his illegal activity.


The Crown was seeking a conditional sentence of two years less a day; arguing that aggravating factors included that he actively misled a fellow police officer — a colleague from his own police division — and, while on duty at a crime scene, took a phone call to further his criminal scheme. He also staged accidents on public streets or parking lots that posed a risk to public safety, the judge noted.

The defence asked for a conditional discharge and probation for two years so that he could attempt to retain his job.
Originally from Trinidad, Joseph, 52, immigrated to Canada in 2007, and became a citizen. He joined TPS the following year. He has no criminal record, has performed volunteer work, and showed remorse by apologizing in court. He is the breadwinner to a wife, son and mother in his home country.







The judge summarized the contents of community impact statements submitted by four insurance companies that Joseph and his associates — three who also pleaded guilty — attempted to defraud.

The companies collectively stated that insurance fraud significantly impacts all Canadians by driving up costs and leading to higher insurance premiums. Fraud and associated investigations consume resources that could otherwise be devoted to supporting customers with legitimate claims. Many fraudulent schemes jeopardize the safety of innocent parties, particularly staged accidents that occur on public roadways.
One insurance company described having a police officer implicated in fraud as “extremely bewildering.”
The insurance companies did not pay out funds to Joseph, yet “significant consequences” should follow regardless of whether the scheme was successful, the judge said.

Joseph will be confined to house arrest with GPS monitoring for the first 12 months and must live under a curfew for the following six months.
 
Back
Top Bottom