Gatineau, Que. man facing charges in Ottawa in phony vaccine certificate scheme
Ottawa police say a Gatineau, Que. man is facing charges following an investigation into forged COVID-19 vaccine certificates.
Police said in a news release that the "extensive and complex" investigation began in September and involved the street crime section, other units, and other law enforcement agencies. On Monday, a 27-year-old man was arrested.
In an interview with CTV News, Ottawa police Det. Shaun Wahbeh with the organized fraud unit said police were told that a man was providing false Quebec vaccine certificates for Ontario residents and false Ontario certificates for Quebec residents.
"The first we heard about it was in September, so we started our investigation and we did find evidence that a male was selling those certificates," Wahbeh said.
Police said the investigation is ongoing and further charges could be laid, including against the buyers.
"We are now actively looking for people who purchased the certificates," Wahbeh said. "If you purchased them and then brought them to the ministry or showed your employer, you're liable for criminal charges."
It is unclear how many of the certificates were sold.
The release ended with a reminder that selling, purchasing, using or knowingly accepting false COVID-19 vaccination credentials is a crime.
"For anybody who thinks it's okay to buy these, you could be opening yourself up for criminal investigation, loss of employment—there are so many repercussions that come from it," Wahbeh said. "So, if you bought it and you brought it to the ministry or to your employer, and we have evidence, we will charge you."
Pierre Patry is facing charges of uttering a forged document, forgery, and conspiracy to commit an indictable offence, as well as charges relating to the possession and laundering of the proceeds of crime and also a drug possession for the purposes of trafficking charge.
Patry is due in court at a later date.
Earlier this month, the government of Quebec put a temporary hold on approving out-of-province proof of vaccinations from Ontario after hundreds of cases of fraud were discovered.
"We take this situation very seriously, and anyone trying to use or fabricate a fake vaccine passport faces risks of prosecution and heavy penalties,” the Quebec health ministry said in a statement to CTV News Montreal.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
'He's in our hearts': Family and friends still seek answers one year after Nathan Wise’s disappearance
It’s been a year since Nathan Wise went missing and his family is no closer to finding out what happened to him.
'My family doctor just fired me': Ontario patients frustrated with de-rostering
Dozens of Ontarians are expressing frustration in the province’s health-care system after their family doctors either dropped them as patients or threatened to after they sought urgent care elsewhere.
Ottawa pizzeria places among top 20 deep-dish pizzas in the world at international competition
An Ottawa pizzeria is being recognized as one of the top 20 deep-dish pizzas in the world.
Canada Post cracks down on Nunavut loophole to get free Amazon Prime shipping
Amazon's paid subscription service provides free delivery for online shopping across Canada except for remote locations, the company said in an email. While customers in Iqaluit qualify for the offer, all other communities in Nunavut are excluded.
Wildfire near Fort McMurray more than triples overnight, several evacuation alerts remain in place
The fire burning near Fort McMurray grew from 25 hectares to 5,500 hectares over the weekend.
Putin replaces Russian defence minister in rare cabinet shakeup
Russia’s President Vladimir Putin began a Cabinet shakeup on Sunday, proposing the replacement of Sergei Shoigu as defence minister as he begins his fifth term in office.
Suspect sought after fatal slashing in downtown Toronto
Police are searching for a suspect in a homicide investigation after a man was slashed in downtown Toronto on Sunday.
WATCH Dashcam video shows terrifying near-miss on two-lane northern Ontario highway
There were some scary moments for several people on a northern Ontario highway caught on video Thursday after a chain reaction following a truck fire.
Edibles, armchairs and adapters: Here are the recalls for this week
Health Canada announced various product recalls this week, including electric adapters, armchairs, cannabis edibles and vehicle components.