A years-long deception unfolded within a trusted Durham Region cleaning service, culminating in fraud charges against eight individuals and a search for five more. The alleged scheme, uncovered during a routine corporate restructuring, points to a calculated and extensive effort to siphon funds from the company.
At the center of the investigation, dubbed Project Fletcher, is Duaa Hadweh, 54, a long-time operations manager with 23 years of service at ServiceMaster. Authorities allege she masterminded a complex fraud, diverting over $3 million between 2016 and 2021, and believe the true figure could be significantly higher, potentially stretching back fifteen years.
The alleged fraud wasn’t a simple theft. Investigators detail a sophisticated network involving the manipulation of employee wages, redirecting payroll to family members, and the creation of false invoices for nonexistent work. This intricate web of deceit was only revealed when a new operations manager identified financial discrepancies following Hadweh’s internal transfer.
The investigation revealed a disturbing pattern of funds flowing into the accounts of Hadweh’s son and daughter, directly used to finance mortgage payments on a newly built home. This property was later sold for a profit, with the proceeds allegedly “laundered” back to Hadweh and her husband, obscuring the illicit source of the funds.
A forensic audit uncovered approximately 270 fraudulent cheques, issued to eight shell subcontractor companies and deposited into 22 separate bank accounts. This was just the beginning of a complex trail of money laundering, extending across Durham Region, the Greater Toronto Area, and even reaching Uruguay and South America.
The sheer scale of the investigation is staggering. Authorities meticulously sifted through 27 judicial orders, nearly 80,000 pages of financial records, 30 massive datasets, and almost 800 investigative file attachments to piece together the intricate details of the alleged scheme.
Alongside Duaa Hadweh, Bishara Hadweh, 63, Rina Hadweh, 30, Richard Hadweh, 31, Roberto Campos, 63, Melba Carbajal, 61, and Fabiane Batista Campos, 58, face charges including fraud, theft, possession of proceeds, and laundering money. Willians Freddy Roman, 58, is also implicated in the alleged conspiracy.
Police are actively seeking Gabriel Gustavo Amuz Cerqui, 56, Gabriela Noel Amuz Balari, 23, Rodrigo Nicolas Amuz Balari, 21, Alexandra Noemi Ramos Bausero, 39, and Gustavo Alejandro Malvarez, 59, as part of the ongoing investigation. Anyone with information is urged to come forward.
This case serves as a stark reminder of the potential for long-term, sophisticated fraud to occur within even the most established organizations, and the painstaking work required to uncover and prosecute such crimes.
