TORONTO — The TTC has fired a supervisor over an alleged insurance benefits scam involving a Toronto orthotics business, following an internal and police investigation that may lead to criminal charges.
TTC spokesman Brad Ross said in a release Healthy Fit provided health care products and other services to TTC employees and gave receipts to reimburse them for insurance claims for products and services that were never provided. He added that in some cases the costs were also inflated.
Ross added that Healthy Fit and the person making the insurance claim would then allegedly share the money for the fraudulent claims paid out by TTC insurer Manulife Financial.
READ MORE: Three arrested in alleged TTC insurance benefits scam
“We don’t require a criminal charge to take action against an employee if we find through our own internal investigation that some wrongdoing was committed, if there was a breach of the policy for example then we can take action and dismiss an employee without the police having to have laid a charge,” Ross said.
“No charges have yet been laid — it’s not to say that as the police investigation continues that there won’t be.”
Last month, Toronto police charged two employees and the owner of Healthy Fit, located at 333 Wilson Ave., after alleging they fraudulently billed for orthotics, braces and other medical devices that were never received.
The accused have been identified as Adam Smith, 44 of Mississauga, Sachia Leon, 28, of Toronto, and Savath Nget, 30 of Toronto.
All three have been charged with fraud over $5,000 and laundering proceeds of crime.
The TTC launched its own internal investigation this summer and Ross said more employees could be disciplined or fired.
“As the investigation continues then more people may well lose their jobs,” Ross said.
“But we want to send a clear message to the public that we are taking this very seriously and fact to our own employees that we’re taking this very seriously.”
Details of the alleged benefits scam came to light through the TTC’s Integrity Line, established in 2013, which allows employees to anonymously speak up about issues for investigation.
The TTC is not disclosing the names of the employees disciplined in the investigation or their specific involvement in the alleged scheme.
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