Additional sentence in large-scale immigration fraud case

News release

August 9, 2019 Vancouver, British Columbia Canada Border Services Agency/Canada Revenue Agency

Today, the Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA) and the Canada Revenue Agency (CRA) announced an additional sentence related to the New Can Consultants Ltd. (New Can) and Wellong International Investments Ltd. (Wellong) immigration fraud case.

On July 29, 2019, Xiao Feng “Heki” He was sentenced to 20 months of incarceration in a British Columbia provincial jail after pleading guilty to charges under the Criminal Code of Canada, the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act (IRPA) and the Income Tax Act. These charges are the result of a joint effort between the CBSA and the CRA. As an unlicensed immigration consultant working for New Can, Mr. He was involved in passport fraud and misrepresentation offences for 151 clients who paid approximately $1.2 million for these services. Mr. He also received a fine of $44,659, which is equivalent to the amount of taxes evaded between 2008 and 2011.

In the delivery of his sentence, the presiding judge noted that, in comparison to the other New Can consultants, Mr. He received an additional two month sentence due to his heavy involvement in the passport fraud scheme and the operation of the New Can office in China.

The New Can and Wellong case is the single largest investigation of immigration fraud in British Columbia’s history. From 2006 to 2013, over 1,600 of New Can’s clients collectively paid approximately $10 million for fraudulent services — this included creating the fictitious appearance of Canadian residency to maintain permanent resident status and obtain Canadian citizenship.

To date, nine people have been sentenced for their role in this case.

Quotes

“The Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA) is committed to conducting thorough investigations and prosecuting individuals that willingly break the law. Upholding the integrity of Canada’s immigration system is an essential part of our mandate, and the CBSA continues to identify, investigate and prosecute offences under the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act to the full extent of the law.”

Harald Wuigk, Assistant Director, Criminal Investigations Section, CBSA

“The Canada Revenue Agency (CRA) works closely with other law enforcement agencies and departments on cases involving tax evasion, money laundering and the underground economy. Our partnership with the CBSA in this and other cases exemplifies how collaboration leads to great results. The CRA’s Criminal Investigations Program is committed to investigating the most serious cases of tax evasion.”

Elvis Dutra, Assistant Director, Criminal Investigations, CRA

Quick facts

The Canada Border Services Agency’s (CBSA) Criminal Investigations Section has referred over 1,600 suspected clients of New Can Consultants Ltd. to the CBSA Inland Enforcement Section.
To date, over 1000 of these clients have either lost their status or been reported for inadmissibility under the IRPA. Other cases remain under investigation.
The CBSA takes this issue very seriously and works closely with its partners, including Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada, to identify, investigate and prosecute those engaging in immigration fraud to the full extent of the law.
If you have information about suspicious cross border or immigration activity, please contact the CBSA’s Border Watch Line toll-free at 1-888-502-9060 within the United States and Canada.
The CRA’s Criminal Investigations Program investigates suspected cases of tax evasion, fraud and other violations of Canadian tax laws and, where appropriate, refers them to the Public Prosecution Service of Canada for criminal prosecution.
If you have information about tax evasion, please contact the CRA National Leads Centre toll free line at 1-866-809-6841.

Associated links

Contacts

Media Relations
Canada Border Services Agency
CBSA.Media-West.Media-ouest.ASFC@cbsa-asfc.gc.ca
1-844-245-2272

Media Relations
Canada Revenue Agency
604-666-9389

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Date modified:: 2019-08-09