Police probe phony licence issue after employee arrest

Ontario Provincial Police have conducted at least three major investigations in the past four years into the activities of rogue employees who issued fraudulent drivers’ licences — including some to people with violent criminal records. The most recent case involved Michael McNeil, 32, a contract employee of Serco, the private company licensed by the government to issue drivers’ licences out of an office in Downsview, Toronto. McNeil pleaded guilty in June to nine forgery charges and one charge related to the unauthorized use of a government computer. Another probe, which began in January 2002, involved five front- line Ministry of Transportation employees who worked out of ministry offices at Downsview Ave. and Keele St. Five workers were charged at the time with forgery, uttering forged documents and breach of trust. Three of them later pleaded guilty in court to the charges.

Detective Staff Sergeant Rob Matthews of the force’s antirackets squad said yesterday that in McNeil’s case, he had originally been charged with 25 instances of issuing bogus licences, including several to people with criminal records involving violence.

“ Some cases involved as many as four ‘ legitimate’ drivers’ licences for the same person,” said Matthews.

All the licences were printed at the government printing press in Kingston. “ It’s a legitimate driver’s licence,” said one officer, noting police conducting roadside checks would find nothing to indicate it was created fraudulently.

Serco runs 55 driver examination centres across the province. The company also deals with applications for new licences, criminal record checks and the exchange of licences issued in other provinces, the U. S., and select countries such as France, Germany, Britain and Korea. The largest probe so far was an 18- month investigation code- named Project Keele that began in December 2002, after the five ministry workers were charged following an earlier investigation, Project Mote. Of particular concern was that many of the suspect licences were issued around the time of the 9/ 1l terrorist attacks in the U. S. At least four Project Keele investigators checked out some 50,000 licences issued by the five workers.

Sources familiar with the probe said police identified at least 10,000 they considered suspicious. The results of the probe were handed over to the Ministry of Transportation. Most of the fraudulent licences were issued to people who had failed a driver’s licence examination or were ineligible for licences because of licence suspensions.