Fraudster sentenced after more than a decade on the run

After being on the lam for more than 10 years, an Ontario man has been sentenced for filing fraudulent tax returns on behalf of his clients.

According to a release from the Canada Revenue Agency (CRA), John Oladapo Oladehinde of Brampton, Ont., ran a tax preparation business in Toronto that claimed $13 million in fraudulent charitable donations on behalf of 1,427 clients between 2001 and 2005.

As a result of the phony donations, the CRA issued tax refunds or did not assess taxes payable in the amount of $3.9 million.

Oladehinde was charged with fraud in January 2008 and ended up fleeing the country. A Canada-wide warrant was issued for his arrest in February 2009.

More than 10 years after pulling up stakes, Oladehinde returned to Canada voluntarily in October 2019. He was arrested by the RCMP upon his arrival at Toronto’s Pearson International Airport.

On June 26, 2020, Oladehinde pleaded guilty to one count of fraud over $5,000. He has been handed down a conditional sentence of two years less a day and been ordered to pay a fine of $412,306.

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