4 civilians charged for alleged $1.3M fraud at CFB Halifax

The Canadian Forces National Investigation Service has charged four civilians in the Halifax area with fraud.

Former CFB Halifax civilian employees, Bry'n Ross, 61, and Wayne Langille, 70, are accused of colluding to overcharge for expensive parts for heating systems.

Ross is a former civilian contracts officer and Langille is a former heating plant manager at the base.

Both are charged, after a four-year investigation, with one count of fraud over $5,000 and one count of fraud on the government.

Dartmouth business owner Harold Dawson, 57, and his wife Kim Dawson, 54, face the same charges.

$1.3M in fraud charges

It's alleged four Nova Scotia shell companies were created to bid on contracts. It's also alleged those four companies then competed among themselves to supply the parts to CFB Halifax.

The investigation began when a civilian senior staffer in Shearwater noticed something suspicious about the contracts: All four companies were registered to one owner and the tender applications from each company all appeared to be written in the same handwriting.

"In this specific case we're talking about $1.3 million of fraud over a period of four years," said Capt. Emilie Viau, the officer commanding the Canadian Forces National Investigation Services for the Atlantic area. "In the last five years this is the first time we've seen that amount of money for a fraud file."

Viau said the investigation took four years because the investigation service had to carry out a forensic process.

All four accused will appear in court on August 22.

The Canadian Forces National Investigation Service's mandate is to investigate serious and sensitive matters related to the Defence Department, department employees, and Canadian Armed Forces personnel serving in Canada and around the world.