Credit union launches lawsuit to get families to repay lost funds
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Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 15/12/2007 (6864 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.
TWO Winnipeg families have been accused of an elaborate $2-million bank fraud that has led to criminal charges and a lawsuit.
Police arrested a 64-year-old man, his 63-year-old wife and their 76-year-old business partner this week following a year-long investigation.
Court documents obtained by the Free Press show the trio allegedly scammed the Cambrian Credit Union’s Main Street branch between September 2005 and September 2006.
The money was then allegedly distributed to themselves and their adult children in Winnipeg, Saskatchewan and Alberta.
None of the allegations has been proven and the accused are presumed innocent.
Margaret Sirkis and her husband Kenneth declined to comment when contacted Friday afternoon by the Free Press. The other accused, John Maxey, could not be reached.
Maxey’s wife and son, along with two children of the Sirkises, are named in the civil case but do not face criminal charges.
According to the civil court filings, nearly $1 million has already been repaid to the Cambrian Credit Union. It is asking a judge to order the accused to repay the remaining $1.2 million.
Maxey has filed his own claim against Sirkis and his wife, denying any involvement in the illicit operation.
Police said the scam involved manipulating credit union computer systems into registering a positive balance by making fictitious deposits between several companies along with dormant bank accounts.
The Sirkises allegedly owned two different consulting companies and worked closely with Maxey and his four companies to make the transactions happen.
The companies named in the civil court case are: Seabrook Management Services Bradburn Freight Management, Designer Financial Services, Saxon Investments, Main Chance and Albian Investment Ltd.
Bank officials’ suspicions were aroused by a number of “questionable” transactions between closed accounts at their branch and the Sirkises’ account at Cambrian.
Police have laid several charges against the accused, including fraud over $5,000, possession of goods obtained by crime over $5,000 and money laundering.
The three were each released on a promise to appear in court at a later date.
www.mikeoncrime.com