Calgary, Alberta — January 6, 2014 — An employee of a Calgary collision repair facility has been charged with fraud after a Calgary Police Service (CPS) investigation.
According to an official statement, the CPS Auto Theft Unit was approached in late 2012 by members of the public who reported they had been solicited by an auto body shop employee.
It was alleged the man offered to ship vehicles that had been in collisions to another country, so the owner could report it stolen, in order to claim insurance and/or cancel a loan.
After police used a variety of investigative techniques, a man was accused of making arrangements to have a vehicle shipped to Africa in a shipping container. CPS members were able to intercept the vehicle prior to it being shipped.
Santiago Guiffaro, 44, of Calgary, Alta., has been charged with one count each of fraud over $5,000 and counseling to commit an indictable offense.
The investigation is ongoing. Anyone with information is asked to call police at 403-266-1234, or Crime Stoppers anonymously at 1-800-222-8477 or online at tttTIPS.com.
