Sanjay Madan pleaded guilty to multiple charges of fraud, breach of trust, and money laundering for stealing $47.4 million from Ontario Government
Our Bureau
Toronto, ON
A former bureaucrat, Sanjay Madan, who served as an IT Director within the Ministry of Education, was accused of embezzling public funds. He has pleaded guilty to stealing $47.4 million from the Ontario government. The Ministry of the Attorney General says a judge sentenced Sanjay Madan to 10 years in prison after joint submission from the defense and the crown. Madan had faced two counts of fraud over $5,000 and two counts of breach of trust after he was accused of stealing nearly $11 million in COVID-19 relief funds.
According to the lawsuit, Madan and his family opened more than 400 accounts at the Bank of Montreal. They deposited around 10,000 cheques made out to fictitious applicants with thousands of non-existent children under the support program. Most deposits were made over a 4-week period, coinciding with a rule change that allowed more than 5 payments to be made to an applicant. The government alleges Madan either got the rule change or knew about it and took advantage.
The ministry said he was also accused of and pleaded guilty to stealing more than $36 million from the government through kickbacks from 2011 to 2020. The province had sued Madan, his wife and two adult children, alleging they illegally issued and banked cheques with the purpose to offset the cost of kids learning at home during the COVID-19 lockdown in 2020.
Madan had a senior IT role who helped develop a computer application related to a COVID-19 relief benefit. He was fired in 2020. His wife and two sons also worked for the province in information technology. He pleaded guilty to multiple charges of fraud, breach of trust, and money laundering.
