Police lay charges in Salvation Army fraud scheme
CTV.ca News Staff
Police charged 25-year-old Ming Wa on Tuesday for allegedly embezzling money from the Salvation Army, where he worked as a senior property accountant.
He was arrested this morning at 53 Division after surrendering with his lawyer.
Police charged Wa with fraud over $5,000 and falsification of books and documents.
The Salvation Army has previously alleged in court documents that it was defrauded of more than $2.3 million by Wa.
Wa resigned, a week before the fraud was uncovered, from his job at the Canadian headquarters in Toronto.
"I apologize again for the short notice with regards to resignation, however I feel that for personal reasons I have to," Wa said in his resignation letter.
In court files, the Salvation Army alleged that it was the victim of an invoice plot in which millions were paid to two nonexistent companies.
The invoices were dated from April 2003 to July 2005 and ranged from $16,000 to more than $150,000 each. The charity claims that the money was later deposited into accounts that Wa had signing authority over.
"We are shocked and dismayed by this discovery. Although we maintain insurance, we are taking all appropriate measures in order to recover what has been taken," a charity spokesperson said Tuesday.
The Salvation Army, known for feeding, clothing and housing the needy, is now suing Wa.
Over the past two weeks, Wa has followed judicial orders that require him to hand over all of his possessions to the charity. These include two plasma-screen televisions, hundreds of thousands of dollars in bank accounts and his $450,000 house in Markham, north of Toronto. He also had two late model BMWs.
The charity's audit director, Donald Mitchell, said in a sworn affidavit that Wa was paid an annual salary of $41,000.
The charity wants to make it clear that the loss of this money will not affect any of their programs.
The Canadian branch of the Salvation Army receives about $130 million a year from donors. In Toronto, the group received donations of $2 million during their Christmas campaign, $300,000 less than what Wa allegedly took.
Wa appeared at the College Park courts and was released on a $250,000 surety and house arrest.
For shame!!!
