A husband and wife are facing numerous charges after using two children to defraud members of a church of more than $650,000,according to Durham Police.
The couple, who are guardians of two children, made people believe the children were suffering from serious health ailments, in particular that one child was suffering from cancer and other with life-threatening diseases, said a police statement.
Two members of the church came forward to police, reporting they had been led to believe the child was suffering from serious medical issues and the family needed financial support due to the high cost of treatment. The victims report that over two years, they provided the family with over $650,000 in cash, rent money, groceries, the purchase of a motor vehicle and other means of financial support, it said.
The suspects are known to have gone so far as to dress one child in a hospital gown, cover the head in bandages and attach a fake intravenous connection to the child’s arm to convince the victims of the severity of the illness.
The suspects continued the ruse by convincing a local school board that one child required the purchase of special equipment and required specialized services to attend school, police said.
A 60-year-old male and a 50-year-old female from Oshawa are charged with: Fraud Over $5,000 x3; False Pretenses Over $5,000 x3; and Possession of Proceeds of Crime Over $5,000 x2. The male is also charged with Assault. Both parties were held for bail hearings.
The investigation is continuing. Anyone with new information about this investigation is asked to contact D/Cst. Franssen of the Major Crime Fraud Unit at 1-888-579-1520 ext. 5356.