Winnipeg (August 24, 2020) – Winnipeg Provincial Court handed down the sentence on August 21 for Vladimir Bibilov in an immigration fraud case. The court found that the Winnipeg man acted as an unauthorized immigration consultant and fraudulently collected fees from his clients. His offenses occurred between January 2009 and December 2015. In December 2016, the Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA) charged him with 136 counts related to immigration fraud – one of the largest cases in Manitoba’s history. Bibilov has been ordered to pay $53,000 in restitution and received a conditional sentence order of two years, less a day.
One of the largest cases of alleged immigration fraud in Manitoba’s history came to an end on August 21. Vladimir Bibilov received his sentence for acting as an unauthorized immigration consultant for pay, according to a Tweet by the account of the Canada Border Services Agency’s (CBSA) Prairie Region.
136 counts related to immigration fraud
In December 2016, the CBSA laid charges against Bibilov. The Winnipeg man has been charged with 136 counts related to immigration fraud. He was accused of acting as a paid immigration consultant when he was not licensed to do so. Hence, he fraudulently collected fees from his clients.
Bibilov misrepresented himself to foreign nationals, largely from Moldova, Russia, and Israel, with the promise to provide immigration services to Canada. To add legitimacy to his offers, he used his ties to the Russian Cultural Association of Manitoba. This way, he defrauded more than 80 individuals of would-be immigrants. His victims paid him as much as $9,900 for immigration services, they did not receive. They reported that after sending the payments, Bibilov would cut off communications.
One of the largest immigration fraud cases in Manitoba’s history
On August 21, one of the largest immigration fraud cases in Manitoba’s history came to an end, when the Winnipeg Provincial Court handed down Bibilov’s sentence. The court ordered him to pay about $53,000 in restitution and sentenced him to two years, less a day.
‘The CBSA takes immigration fraud very seriously and is committed to fully investigating and prosecuting those who violate our laws and seek to profit illegitimately from our immigration system,’ read the CBSA Prairie Region’s statement.
Read more: A Winnipeg man used ties to a Russian Cultural Association to defraud clients
