Janitor guilty of immigration fraud

By Tony Spears, Ottawa Sun

First posted: Friday, November 27, 2015 07:42 PM EST  

An Ottawa janitor moonlighted as an immigration fixer, pocketing thousands of dollars while trying to bribe Canadian immigration officials, a judge has found.
Mohamed Farah Abdulle, 53, was convicted last week of Immigration and Refugee Protection Act charges as well as Criminal Code counts for fraud, identity theft and uttering false documents.
Abdulle was a familiar face at Canadian Immigration Canada's Catherine St. offices, Judge Robert Beaudoin wrote in his lengthy decision.
He was the point person for dozens of so called "Group of Five" or "G5" sponsorship files, in which five or more people band together to sponsor one or more refugees.
The sponsors have to put up at least $12,000 in financial support; immigration officials needed to see proof of income from sponsors to make sure they could put their money where their mouths were.
An alert official realized the chatty Abdulle had become "the most prolific G5 sponsor" and that his groups had pledged nearly $1 million.
"He also knew Mr. Abdulle was a janitor," Beaudoin wrote.
Canada Border Services Agency investigators began their probe in February 2011.
Meanwhile, Abdulle continued to visit immigration officials.
At a meeting in a citizenship court judge's office he told a staffer that "if she helped him out, he could help her out,"
Beaudoin wrote. Abdulle suggested he could help pay her mortgage and in a November 2011 meeting he said he'd pay her $500 per application she processed, the court heard.
He was arrested on Nov. 17, 2011.
The trial heard from a number of witnesses whose names appeared as sponsors on various documents Abdulle submitted.
Many said the signatures affixed to the documents weren't theirs and they denied having any involvement with sponsoring refugees.
One man said "he never signed a G5 form in his life," Beaudoin wrote.
"He did not consider himself a humanitarian."
Abdulle also took thousands of dollars from people seeking to sponsor family members, the judge found.
Defence lawyer Elena Davies called her client to the stand, but Abdulle proved unhelpful.
"I found the accused systematically avoided answering any questions at this trial unless forced by me to do so," Beaudoin wrote.
The judge also noted that Abdulle claimed to have no money and that he had last worked in 2008 -- yet his wife owned a $400,000 home and Abdulle claimed to have invested $106,000.
"The accused's evidence is contradicted by the voluminous documentary evidence that was filed at this trial," Beaudoin wrote.
A date for a sentencing hearing has not yet been set and Abdulle remains free on bail.
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