5 people charged in alleged conviction-erasing scam

Four paralegals working in the Toronto area and one former cityclerk are facing charges in an alleged scheme that removed convictions for traffic tickets.

All four of the accusedare charged with conspiracy to commit an indictable offence, breach of trust, obstruction of justice, fraud over $5,000 and uttering forged documents.

A City of Toronto court clerk was alsocharged in February in connection withthe same allegations.

Anonymous tip led to investigation

In 2018, court services staff received an anonymous tip aboutan employee who was allegedly deletingconvictions and makingthings disappear from the court system through the computer network, saidcity spokesperson Brad Ross.

"Acomprehensive investigation was launched between April and October of 2018 and we found instances of about 137 cases where there was alleged misconduct by the employee," Rosstold CBCToronto Wednesday.

The city saysthe situation involvedone individual who wasfamiliar enough with system and figured out ways to get around thedaily audit controls.

The city fired thatemployeelast fall.

In the months following the investigation, thecity says steps have been taken to improve the computer systems.

'We have workedwith the Ministry of the Attorney General and the Auditor General of Toronto totakesome steps to strengthen those audit controls as best we can to ensure that that there is no recurrence," saidRoss.

Deleted tickets reinstated

The city says ittook remedial action to reinstateall deleted tickets and notified those who were convicted that all offences still stand.

The accused are alleged to have wiped approximately $30,000in fines.

Those fines are now back in the city's computer system.

Allfive accused are expectedto appear in court on May 27.