Latest News

Winnipeg Free Press - PRINT EDITION

Sentence no comfort to bilked immigrant

By: Carol Sanders

Posted: 10/31/2012 1:00 AM | Comments: 0

A four-and-a-half-year prison sentence handed to a Winnipegger who bilked poor foreigners out of hundreds of thousands of dollars is no comfort, says one of his victims.

"For me, it does not make any difference if he will be sentenced to death or life in prison," said Yadu Pandey. "He devastated 111 people."

Bradley Jacobson, a former immigration consultant, was sentenced in Winnipeg Monday for making fraudulent job offers to people overseas. Pandey, a Nepalese-Canadian, was helping friends in Nepal look for work in Canada. The southern Ontario man checked out Jacobson's offer of jobs in the oil industry and his credentials. The Winnipeg businessman seemed legitimate, was listed as a member of the Immigration Consultants of Canada Regulatory Council and had been interviewed by media and won a business award, Pandey said.

Jacobson's company, CISI Canadian Immigration Strategies Inc., promised the Nepalese people two-year labourer jobs in the oilsands paying $17.45 hour, said Pandey.

In Nepal, labourers make $8 a day and the oilsands jobs were a chance to work hard and earn good money, he said. They each paid Jacobson $1,300 for a crack at jobs in Canada that didn't exist, said Pandey. He borrowed money on his credit card to help people get the fake jobs, he said. Now Pandey, 56, says he will be paying it back until he dies and his reputation in the Nepalese community has been destroyed because of Jacobson.

Jacobson pleaded guilty to six offences under the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act and the Criminal Code and has been ordered to pay more than $380,000 in restitution. If that money ever comes, it will be too late for many, said Pandey.

"One guy in Nepal was in treatment for cancer and now he can't afford treatment. He doesn't have the money to pay his bill," said Pandey.

Some Nepalese borrowed money at a rate of 36 per cent interest, used their life savings and sold everything they had for to take advantage of the bogus opportunity, Pandey said.

-- Carol Sanders

Republished from the Winnipeg Free Press print edition October 31, 2012 B2

Fact Check

Have you found an error, or know of something we’ve missed in one of our stories? Please use the form below and let us know.

* Required

In which story did you find the error? *
Please post the headline of the story or the title of the video with the error.
What was the error? *
Please post exactly what was wrong with the story.
What should we have written?
Please indicate your source for the correct information.
Who else should we interview to improve this story?
Please include any contact information you may have.
Can we contact you in the future for advice on stories about this topic?
Yes

No
First Name: *
Last Name: *
E–mail Address: *
This will only be used to contact you if we have a question about your submission, it will not be used to identify you or be published.
Phone: *
This will only be used to contact you if we have a question about your submission, it will not be used to identify you or be published.
Colour:
Are you blue? If you can see this, leave it blank and get some CSS support.
Enter the words that you see: * This is to prevent our forms from being filled out automatically.
You have failed to correctly identify the words in the box above. Please try again.

More Latest News

Undock

You can comment on most stories on winnipegfreepress.com. You can also agree or disagree with other comments. All you need to do is register and/or login and you can join the conversation and give your feedback.

Have Your Say

New to commenting? Check out our Frequently Asked Questions.

The Winnipeg Free Press does not necessarily endorse any of the views posted. By submitting your comment, you agree to our Terms and Conditions. These terms were revised effective April 16, 2010.