Dozens more alleged victims come forward as Brampton man accused in real estate fraud faces new charges
CBC
A Brampton man accused of defrauding more than a dozen would-be homeowners is now facing additional criminal charges, while a civil lawyer says dozens more alleged victims have recently come forward claiming they were also defrauded.
Moiz Kunwar, 28, is accused of taking deposits for pre-construction homes he was not authorized to sell, which were built by a legitimate developer he had no connection with.
Last month, Kunwar was charged with fraud over $5,000 and possession of property obtained by crime. That's on top of two counts of each charge already laid against him in February and March of this year, according to Brampton court records. The criminal charges against him have yet to be tested in court.
Now, Peel Regional Police are warning the public about Kunwar.
"Members of the public are urged to avoid any transactional interactions with Moiz Kunwar," spokesperson Const. Tyler Bell-Morena said.
He says the fraud bureau is continuing to investigate new and existing allegations of fraud involving Kunwar "relating to instances where he reportedly misrepresented himself as being a member of a real estate development company."
Bell-Morena says police believe there are other victims who have not yet come forward and are encouraging anyone with information to contact Peel police's fraud department or report details anonymously through Crime Stoppers.
Toronto lawyer Andrew Ballantyne is representing seven plaintiffs in a civil lawsuit against Kunwar. Since CBC Toronto's reporting on Kunwar's criminal charges in May, he says he's received phone calls from 40 to 50 people who believe they are also victims of the alleged real estate scam.
Ballantyne says he's working with the majority of them to help get their deposits back.
"A lot of these people are regular, everyday people … [who] have given their life savings and it's tragic to see," he said.
Three civil lawsuits filed in Ontario Superior Court paint a similar picture and accuse Kunwar of collecting deposits for pre-construction homes across the Greater Toronto Area by using a corporate name nearly identical to that of a legitimate developer he was not associated with.
The lawsuits claim he took deposits for homes that he had no right to sell, leaving the buyers without their new homes and out tens of thousands of dollars in deposit money.
The plaintiffs in the three civil suits claim they gave Kunwar a total of nearly $570,000 in deposits and are suing him in hopes of getting that money back, plus damages.
In an email to CBC Toronto, Kunwar said he intends to defend himself against all charges and allegations against him, but did not comment further because the matters are before the courts.
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