Family involved in theft of $11M of COVID-19 relief funds, Ontario govt

Eigle

MPA (400+ posts)
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A probe into the alleged theft of $11 million in pandemic relief cash will also examine contractors and subcontractors linked to a fired government computer employee, the Star has learned.

Queen’s Park and the Ontario Provincial Police anti-rackets squads are conducting separate investigations into the alleged embezzlement from the $378-million Support for Families program.Government sources, speaking confidentially in order to discuss a matter that is before the courts, say their internal audit is looking into past data projects involving Sanjay Madan.

Sanjay Madan was the $176,608-a-year director of the Ministry of Education’s iAccess Solutions Branch until he was terminated with cause early last month.

According to documents filed with the Ontario Superior Court, the government alleges “some or all of” Sanjay Madan, spouse Shalini Madan, their sons Chinmaya Madan and Ujjawal Madan, and associate Vidhan Singh perpetrated “a massive fraud” to direct COVID-19 aid payments to hundreds of TD and Bank of Montreal accounts.
The province’s accusations have not been proven in court.

In a civil action to freeze the Madan family’s assets, including a seven-bedroom-seven-bathroom home, six condominium units and more than $1 million in cash from the sale of another property, the government alleges “damages for fraud, theft, conversion, and conspiracy in an amount estimated to be at least $11 million.”

Seven OPP detectives are investigating the case, but no charges have been laid.

At the same time as police probe the alleged fraud, outside auditors KPMG and government officials are conducting parallel investigations.“We have to look at everything,” a senior government official told the Star.
That includes a slew of IT projects led by Sanjay Madan during his many years in the Ontario public service, the insider added.

On such initiatives, the same unidentified computer contractors and subcontractors were routinely hired.
“Obviously, that’s not necessarily unusual (in government), but we need to look into it,” the top official added.
Eight former colleagues of the fired computer specialist have contacted the Star over the past week.

Each said Sanjay Madan was very selective about the contractors and subcontractors that he worked with on a range of IT projects over the past decade or so.
“He liked to work with the same core group, but he would never tell the other teams, which would frustrate the ADM (assistant deputy minister),” said one former colleague, who asked not be named in order to discuss internal matters.

https://www.thestar.com/business/pe...ow.html?li_source=LI&li_medium=star_web_ymbii
Another said Sanjay Madan would huddle in his Ministry of Education office with Chinmaya Madan, then a technical product manager at the Ministry of Government and Consumer Services. His mother, Shalini Madan, was the $132,513-a-year manager of that department’s E-Ministries Support before she was fired recently.
“Those of us that worked with (Sanjay Madan), we knew that he liked to spend a lot of time in the office talking on the phone most of the day, looking after his properties and personal interests,” said the former co-worker, who was not authorized by the ministry to speak for attribution.
“One of his sons, Chinmaya, that worked in a different branch, was well known for speaking his mind … to everyone … and spending afternoons in (Sanjay Madan’s) office.”
Chinmaya Madan, who resigned from the government in August, now works for Microsoft in Seattle. His lawyer Louie Genova said he cannot comment on the case.

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Through his civil lawyer, Christopher Du Vernet, and criminal lawyer, Stephen Hebscher, Sanjay Madan has not commented.

Shalini Madan’s lawyer, Scott Pearl, also said “my client will not be commenting.”
So far, only the younger son, Ujjawal Madan, who worked as a government contract employee on his father’s team, has spoken publicly.

Now a master’s student at the Georgia Institute of Technology, Ujjawal Madan told the Star on Nov. 24 that the family was aware of the allegations being made against them.

“I cannot comment at this time. It’s not a good time,” he said.
The government alleges Sanjay Madan “used his in-depth knowledge” as the IT leader on the online COVID-19 relief application “to direct an unauthorized rule change to allow for fraudulent … payments.”

When the province “collected its government-issued phones from Sanjay and Chinmaya, the phones had been reset by these defendants to their factory settings and/or had their government profiles removed, which may permanently delete all the data from their phones.”
“They took these steps in order to conceal and profit from their wrongful conduct and injure the (government),” the government alleges about the iPhones in its court submission.

“The defendants’ misconduct, including their efforts to conceal it, demonstrates high handed, wanton and callous disregard for the rights and interests of the (government), which has, as a result, suffered significant losses, both from a financial and reputational perspective.”

Under Ontario law, such digital government records are supposed to be preserved.
But it is possible the contents of those iPhones will be backed up on iCloud accounts that investigators can access.

Vidhan Singh — a Sanjay Madan friend alleged to have received 170 support payments worth $42,500 to 30 Bank of Montreal accounts opened in June — has not commented through his lawyer, Christoph Pike.

 
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Pathfinder

Chief Minister (5k+ posts)
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Sanjay Madan was a director in the Ontario Ministry of Education’s iAccess Solutions Branch and the information technology leader of the government’s online Support for Families program. He was fired after the Ontario government alleged he was involved in the $11 million theft of COVID-19 funds. The OPP is investigating.


STAR EXCLUSIVE
Investigators probing contractors that may be linked to the alleged $11 million theft of COVID-19 aid
Robert Benzie

By Robert BenzieQueen's Park Bureau Chief
Thu., Dec. 3, 2020timer4 min. read
A probe into the alleged theft of $11 million in pandemic relief cash will also examine contractors and subcontractors linked to a fired government computer employee, the Star has learned.
Queen’s Park and the Ontario Provincial Police anti-rackets squads are conducting separate investigations into the alleged embezzlement from the $378-million Support for Families program.
Government sources, speaking confidentially in order to discuss a matter that is before the courts, say their internal audit is looking into past data projects involving Sanjay Madan.

Sanjay Madan was the $176,608-a-year director of the Ministry of Education’s iAccess Solutions Branch until he was terminated with cause early last month.
According to documents filed with the Ontario Superior Court, the government alleges “some or all of” Sanjay Madan, spouse Shalini Madan, their sons Chinmaya Madan and Ujjawal Madan, and associate Vidhan Singh perpetrated “a massive fraud” to direct COVID-19 aid payments to hundreds of TD and Bank of Montreal accounts.
The province’s accusations have not been proven in court.
In a civil action to freeze the Madan family’s assets, including a seven-bedroom-seven-bathroom home, six condominium units and more than $1 million in cash from the sale of another property, the government alleges “damages for fraud, theft, conversion, and conspiracy in an amount estimated to be at least $11 million.”

Seven OPP detectives are investigating the case, but no charges have been laid.

https://www.thestar.com/politics/pr...ds.html?li_source=LI&li_medium=star_web_ymbii
At the same time as police probe the alleged fraud, outside auditors KPMG and government officials are conducting parallel investigations.
“We have to look at everything,” a senior government official told the Star.
That includes a slew of IT projects led by Sanjay Madan during his many years in the Ontario public service, the insider added.
On such initiatives, the same unidentified computer contractors and subcontractors were routinely hired.
“Obviously, that’s not necessarily unusual (in government), but we need to look into it,” the top official added.
Eight former colleagues of the fired computer specialist have contacted the Star over the past week.

Each said Sanjay Madan was very selective about the contractors and subcontractors that he worked with on a range of IT projects over the past decade or so.
“He liked to work with the same core group, but he would never tell the other teams, which would frustrate the ADM (assistant deputy minister),” said one former colleague, who asked not be named in order to discuss internal matters.

https://www.thestar.com/business/pe...ow.html?li_source=LI&li_medium=star_web_ymbii
Another said Sanjay Madan would huddle in his Ministry of Education office with Chinmaya Madan, then a technical product manager at the Ministry of Government and Consumer Services. His mother, Shalini Madan, was the $132,513-a-year manager of that department’s E-Ministries Support before she was fired recently.
“Those of us that worked with (Sanjay Madan), we knew that he liked to spend a lot of time in the office talking on the phone most of the day, looking after his properties and personal interests,” said the former co-worker, who was not authorized by the ministry to speak for attribution.
“One of his sons, Chinmaya, that worked in a different branch, was well known for speaking his mind … to everyone … and spending afternoons in (Sanjay Madan’s) office.”
Chinmaya Madan, who resigned from the government in August, now works for Microsoft in Seattle. His lawyer Louie Genova said he cannot comment on the case.
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Through his civil lawyer, Christopher Du Vernet, and criminal lawyer, Stephen Hebscher, Sanjay Madan has not commented.
Shalini Madan’s lawyer, Scott Pearl, also said “my client will not be commenting.”
So far, only the younger son, Ujjawal Madan, who worked as a government contract employee on his father’s team, has spoken publicly.
Now a master’s student at the Georgia Institute of Technology, Ujjawal Madan told the Star on Nov. 24 that the family was aware of the allegations being made against them.

“I cannot comment at this time. It’s not a good time,” he said.
The government alleges Sanjay Madan “used his in-depth knowledge” as the IT leader on the online COVID-19 relief application “to direct an unauthorized rule change to allow for fraudulent … payments.”
When the province “collected its government-issued phones from Sanjay and Chinmaya, the phones had been reset by these defendants to their factory settings and/or had their government profiles removed, which may permanently delete all the data from their phones.”
“They took these steps in order to conceal and profit from their wrongful conduct and injure the (government),” the government alleges about the iPhones in its court submission.
“The defendants’ misconduct, including their efforts to conceal it, demonstrates high handed, wanton and callous disregard for the rights and interests of the (government), which has, as a result, suffered significant losses, both from a financial and reputational perspective.”
Under Ontario law, such digital government records are supposed to be preserved.
But it is possible the contents of those iPhones will be backed up on iCloud accounts that investigators can access.
Vidhan Singh — a Sanjay Madan friend alleged to have received 170 support payments worth $42,500 to 30 Bank of Montreal accounts opened in June — has not commented through his lawyer, Christoph Pike.
Robert Benzie
Robert Benzie
is the Star’s Queen’s Park bureau chief and a reporter covering Ontario politics. Follow him on Twitter: @robertbenzie
 

Dr Adam

Prime Minister (20k+ posts)
The guy should be decorated by the Modi Sarkar with the "Bharat Ratna" which is the highest civilian award of the country. It is awarded in recognition of exceptional service/performance of the highest order in any field of human endeavor. It is treated on a different footing from Padma Award.