OPP officials allege: A Mississauga resident has been charged following a year-long loan-sharking investigation involving extortion, money laundering and the illegal lending of money at a criminal rate of interest within Ontario land-based casinos.
In the spring of 2024, the Investigation and Enforcement Bureau (IEB) of the Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) commenced Project EVENING, an investigation into loan-sharking activity at casinos within the Greater Toronto Area.
This investigation was conducted by the OPP Game Protection and Anti-Money Laundering Unit and IEB Casino Investigations Unit in Toronto, in partnership with Financial Transactions and Reports Analysis Centre of Canada (FINTRAC).
As a result of the investigation, a residential search warrant was executed in the City of Mississauga by the OPP, Peel Regional Police and York Regional Police.
On March 18, 2025, a 43-year-old Mississauga resident was charged with the following Criminal Code offences:
– Criminal interest rate, section 347
– Extortion, section 346
– Laundering proceeds of crime, section 462.31(1)(a)
– Possession of property obtained by crime over $5,000, section 354(1)(a)
The accused is scheduled to appear before the Ontario Court of Justice in Toronto on June 11, 2025.
The OPP is urging members of the public who have been victimized by loan sharks to come forward and report their experiences.
Your information can help stop these illegal practices and protect others from falling victim.
Anyone with any information is asked to contact the OPP at 1-888-310-1122 or Crime Stoppers anonymously at 1-800-222-TIPS (8477) or ontariocrimestoppers.ca.
IEB is a division of the OPP embedded within the Alcohol and Gaming Commission of Ontario (AGCO) and is responsible for conducting criminal, provincial and regulatory eligibility investigations to ensure integrity and public safety within the AGCO-regulated industries.
FINTRAC is Canada’s financial intelligence unit and anti-money laundering and anti-terrorist financing supervisor.
Its mandate is to facilitate the detection, prevention and deterrence of money laundering and the financing of terrorist activities, while ensuring the protection of personal information under its control.
