July 10, 2020
According to a statement released yesterday by Toronto Police, Robert Konashewych swindled the Public Guardian and Trustee out of over $800,000. He allegedly pulled it off using a fake will and by making false statements. His scam was successful, and the money was paid out to him in 2018.
What makes these allegations more shocking, is that Sunshine List records indicate Mr. Konashewych made a salary of $119,671 and over $1,013.38 in benefits in 2019.
In 2018, when the fraud occurred, Mr. Konashewych made $128,575 and $1,007.76 in benefits.
According to Payscale.com, the median salary in Toronto is $63,000 per year. That means that Mr. Konashewych was already making over double the median when he decided to steal over $800,000.
As the police statement indicated, Mr. Konashewych was suspended with pay, as is mandated in these situations. This means that Mr. Konashewych will continue to collect his generous salary, while the case makes it way through the court system. This takes on average 1 - 2 years, and could take more.
Unfortunately, Mr. Konashewych is not the only police officer in Ontario to be charged for fraud or breach of trust recently. Back in April, 3 members of the Ottawa Police, Hussein Assaad, Kevin Putinski and Andrew Chronopoulos, were charged with corruption related offences, including fraud.
Cases like these call into question the reliability of the police in Canada, the amount they get paid, and the process required to fire them. These cases also serve to erode the already damaged reputation of police.
The police require the public’s trust to operate effectively. Canadians pay a lot of money in taxes for police, and deserve the best officers screened through rigorous hiring standards.
It appears that was not the case with these officers.
Article by: Mark Slapinski