Collecteur Project: Laval intermediary convicted of conspiring to commit tax evasion and money laundering

September 19, 2024

Montreal, Quebec

Canada Revenue Agency

The Canada Revenue Agency (CRA) announced today that Kamel Ghaddar, of Laval, Quebec, was sentenced on September 18, 2024, at the Montréal Courthouse, to 3 years in jail and was fined a total of $28,492. Mr. Ghaddar pleaded guilty on November 10, 2023, to a charge of conspiracy under the Criminal Code relating to tax evasion and laundering proceeds of crime. This is a fourth conviction related to tax evasion as part of the Collecteur Project.

An investigation revealed that Mr. Ghaddar acted as an intermediary for Mohamad Jaber, convicted in June 2023 as part of the same investigation. Mr. Jaber had set up a system to launder money derived from the illicit activities of various individuals. In the context of this scheme, Mr. Ghaddar was meeting with Mr. Jaber's clients to collect and remit cash money, checks and false invoices.

All case-specific information above was obtained from the court records.

Collecteur Project is a joint investigation by the CRA and the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) into a money laundering and tax evasion scheme. In addition to Kamel Ghaddar and Mohamed Jaber, two other taxpayers, Nader Gramian-Nik and Frederick Rayman, were also convicted.

The CRA helps to prevent, detect and disrupt money laundering by investigating suspected cases of tax evasion, tax fraud and other serious violations of Canada’s tax laws. The CRA has reinforced partnerships whereby investigators work closely with various law enforcement agencies, such as the RCMP, on Joint Forces Operations (JFO). Working with partners, the CRA shares knowledge, expertise, and best practices and identifies tax schemes and their participants.

In addition to the court imposed fines and/or jail sentences, convicted taxpayers have to pay the full amount of tax owing, plus related interest and any penalties assessed by the CRA.

The CRA is dedicated to maintaining the integrity of Canada’s tax system, thereby contributing to the social and economic well-being of Canadians. The CRA continues to aggressively pursue tax evasion, and false claims with all the tools available to it. The CRA works to make sure that individuals and businesses report all income earned and only claim benefits to which they are entitled, so that important benefit programs can be administered to those who need them. Any individual or business who underreports income, or claims losses or benefits to which they are not entitled may have to repay the benefit amounts and may be subject to other possible action.

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