Two people from Woodbridge are facing charges for allegedly defrauding the provincial government of COVID-19 relief funding.
Provincial police say they were called in after the Ministry of Finance flagged two individual applications related to the COVID-19 Energy Cost Rebate program for small businesses.
“It is alleged relief funding from the government was applied for through fictitious or ineligible businesses,” investigators said in a release.
Theophilus Ogunkunle, 51, and Omolola Ogunkunle, 36 – both of Woodbridge – have each been charged with fraud over $5,000, uttering forged documents and possession of property obtained by crime over $5,000.
The pair are scheduled to appear in court to answer the charges in May.
These are the latest charges related to the provincial government’s small business COVID-19 relief programs. Last July, five people were charged for using fake or ineligible businesses to receive payments from The Ontario Small Business Support Grant, The Property Tax Program, and The Energy Cost Rebate Program.