(ORILLIA, ON) – Members of the Anti-Rackets Branch (ARB) of the Ontario Provincial Police have charged three people with several criminal offences following an investigation of allegations of financial irregularities involving the Municipality of West Nipissing.
In late January 2016, the OPP accepted a formal request from the Chief of West Nipissing Police Service to conduct an independent investigation into dealings between the Municipality and a third-party contractor.
Charged are:
Marc GAGNON, aged 49 years of West Nipissing ON, with:
· Fraud Over $5,000 (2 Counts)
· Breach of Trust
· Fraud on Government
· Conspiracy to Commit an Indictable Offence
· Uttering Forged Documents
Luc RIFOU, aged 42 years of West Nipissing ON, with:
· Fraud Over $5,000 (2 Counts)
· Breach of Trust
· Fraud on Government
· Conspiracy to Commit an Indictable Offence
· Uttering Forged Documents
Steve MORRISON, aged 42 years of Sturgeon Falls, ON with:
· Fraud Over $5,000 (2 Counts)
· Fraud on Government
· Conspiracy to Commit an Indictable Offence
· Uttering Forged Documents
The investigation is ongoing. All three accused are expected to appear at the Ontario Court of Justice in Sturgeon Falls on October 6, 2016.