Trois-Rivières resident sentenced to an 18-month prison sentence for fraudulent claims related to over 60 fictitious children

The Canada Revenue Agency (CRA) announces that Wayne Kendall Jr. of Trois-Rivières, Quebec, was sentenced on October 20, 2023, at the Trois-Rivières Courthouse, to an 18-month prison sentence, followed by a two-year probation. Mr. Kendall Jr. pleaded guilty on March 10, 2023, of making false or deceptive statements and forgery.

A CRA investigation revealed that, from 2015 to 2018, Mr. Kendall Jr. fraudulently obtained more than $377,000 by submitting false claims for tax credits and benefits. He impersonated 18 different individuals in order to claim tax credits and benefits for a total of 61 fictitious children, and then deposited the money in various bank accounts he had opened under false identities.

Mr. Kendall Jr. took advantage of his employment with the CRA to illegally obtain the data of the impersonated identities, but he was no longer employed by the CRA when he carried out the scheme.

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

Tax evasion is a crime. Falsifying records and claims, wilfully not reporting income, or inflating expenses can lead to criminal charges, prosecution, court imposed fines, jail time, and a criminal record. From April 1, 2022, to March 31, 2023, there were 31 convictions, with court imposed fines totalling $6,925,440. These taxpayers were sentenced for wilfully evading payment amounts totalling $8,142,512 in federal tax. Out of the 31 convictions, 12 individuals were sent to jail for a total of 32.7 years.

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.

The CRA has set up a free subscription service to help Canadians stay current on the CRA’s enforcement efforts.

Associated Links

• Reporting suspected tax or benefit cheating in Canada
• Voluntary Disclosures Program

Contacts

Media Relations
Canada Revenue Agency
613-948-8366
cra-arc.media@cra-arc.gc.ca