A Mississauga man has been given nine months in jail for his part in a fake identity scheme in Hamilton, Toronto and Kitchener used to obtain bank credit or loans.
Nashaid Iqbal Bhatti and another man were charged in 2014 by the RCMP with fraud and money-laundering related to creating fake identities used to acquire legitimate pieces of ID and, ultimately, bank loans.
On Wednesday, Bhatti, 45, pleaded guilty in a Hamilton court to conspiring in Toronto to defraud financial institutions of more than $5,000 ? and to using a forged citizenship certificate in Kitchener. He was given a nine-month sentence.
His co-accused, Tahir Mahmood, a Toronto cab driver, was sentenced in a Kitchener court on July 13 to 90 days’ intermittent jail time after pleading guilty to a charges including fraud over $5,000 and conspiracy to commit fraud.
The RCMP began investigating in 2013 after a Hamilton airport border officer intercepted what was believed to be a fake citizenship card that came from the United Arab Emirates and was destined for a Hamilton address.
Hamilton RCMP alleged fictitious Hamilton companies were created with local addresses to launder money through them and then either converted to bank drafts or moved overseas.
