Project Platinum investigation targeted corrupt tow truck operators and their various extensions into the car repair, rental and physiotherapy service providers.
On March 20, 2020, Filippo Genova, who was a principal target of Project Platinum, was heard on the wiretaps calling other co-accused to see whether a car crash could be organized. The agreed statement of facts on this case includes Mr. Genova saying, “Cause we…no, we loaned her the money, you know what I’m saying…[L]ike we loaned her money to put her car back on the road…[I]t’s been insured, everything. She was just like she had to pay for a payment, you know what I mean?” The car was described as a 2014 Ford Fiesta with “full coverage”.
Filippo Genova was referring to Teanna Young. Ms. Young was 27 years old at the time of sentencing.
Mr. Genova spoke with Mr. Mills, the tow truck driver involved, and the other driver to be involved in the staged crash, Amirhoseein Samiezadeh. Genova gave them instructions on how to communicate so that there were no records.
On March 23 at 8:10 pm York Regional Police attended at Steeles Avenue West and Hilda Avenue to investigate a motor vehicle collision which had reportedly occurred at 7:38pm. It involved Ms. Young’s 2015 Ford Fiesta and a 2018 Mercedes Benz, drive by Amirhoseein Samiezadeh’s sister Homa.
Ms. Young told the police that she was exiting a driveway and hit the Mercedes. That wasn’t true. Whatever happened, there was nothing accidental about the two motor vehicles colliding that evening.
While the damage to the Fiesta was easy to document, the damage to the Mercedes was unclear. The car had been partially dismantled by the time the insurance investigator could examine it, so its initial condition was impossible to determine, and the reason why it was so dismantled equally unclear.
Ms. Young made an insurance claim for her Fiesta. It was written off. The lessor was paid out in the amount of $10,625.59. There were other claims borne by the insurer: $3,424.07 for the engineer’s report, and an appraisal fee of $265.99. The Fiesta had no salvage value, meaning that the insurance company had to pay a firm to take the car.
The Mercedes suffered damages of unknown origin. A claim for $64,605.69 was made on that car.
The Court sentenced Ms. Young to a 6 month Conditional Sentence. The house arrest condition was only ordered for the first two months, and a curfew for the next second two months. Exceptions were permitted for work, while at counselling and for the purposes of pre-arranged custody visits with her child.
The full story is reported at R. v. Young, 2021 ONCJ.
This article was written by a staff reporter at Investigation Counsel PC.
