Ontario Provincial Police have charged four people, including an employee at a privately operated ServiceOntario centre, after an investigation into the alleged resale of stolen vehicles using fraudulent registration documents and altered vehicle identification numbers.
OPP said Thursday the investigation, called Project Tailwind, focused on allegations of re-vinning and fraudulent registration involving stolen vehicles in Ontario. Re-vinning involves changing or replacing a vehicle’s unique identification number so a stolen vehicle appears legitimate.
OPP Probe Targets Fraudulent Vehicle Registration
According to investigators, documents used in Ontario’s vehicle registration process were “improperly obtained and misused.”
“These documents were then used to facilitate giving stolen vehicles new Vehicle Identification Numbers (VIN), allowing them to be registered with the Ministry of Transportation Ontario (MTO), sold and driven on public roads as legitimate vehicles,” police said.
The OPP said officers executed four search warrants earlier this month in Maple, Brampton and Kitchener. Police recovered six stolen vehicles and electronic devices during the searches.
Four Suspects Charged in Project Tailwind
Sonia Cianfaran, 28, of Vaughan, has been charged with breach of trust and trafficking property obtained by crime over $5,000.
Sarvathan Balasubramaniam, 32, and Gajan Karunanithy, 34, both from Brampton, along with Jose Lozano, 36, of Kitchener, each face charges of use, deals, acts on forged documents and trafficking property obtained by crime over $5,000.
Court Date Set for June 12 in Newmarket
All four suspects have been released from custody and are scheduled to appear in a Newmarket court on June 12.
Police are asking anyone with information related to Project Tailwind to contact the OPP at 1-888-310-1122. Anonymous tips can also be submitted through Crime Stoppers.
