Cheating on tests has landed a Quebec man in hot water — and now he owes the provincial government hundreds of thousands of dollars.
A resident of Laval, Que., was convicted and fined in connection with a tax evasion case in which he helped hundreds of people cheat on the province’s theoretical driving exam.
Revenu Québec said Thursday that Alex Tran was given a suspended prison sentence of two years minus a day and fined $227,000 for his role in the plan.
Tran, 60, allegedly gave his clients a camera and an earpiece so he could see the questions and provide the correct answers to the province’s written driving exam. A total of 709 people used his services in exchange for money, according to the tax revenue agency.
Revenu Québec launched an investigation into Tran’s activities and seized his agendas for the 2019 and 2020 years. The agendas had information about the dates, times and clients.
The investigation found Tran made $426,950 in undeclared income in the first year, followed by an additional $232,670 in 2020. This means he didn’t cough up roughly $36,000 in taxes, according to Revenu Québec.
Tran pleaded guilty to four counts against him and was sentenced on April 18.
Revenu Québec would not confirm if the hundreds of people who cheated on their driving exams faced any consequences.
— with files from The Canadian Press