A lawsuit has been filed in Oshawa, Ontario, against a former Durham Regional Police detective, Robert Silipo, and five other defendants, seeking nearly $300,000 in damages. The lawsuit alleges that Silipo, who collected pre-construction home deposits from the plaintiffs in 2022, was involved in a scam.
Text messages reviewed by CBC News reveal that Silipo arranged meetings with the plaintiffs in a parking lot next to the police station in Oshawa to exchange paperwork for their home purchases. This location, being near his place of work, may have given the impression of legitimacy to the transactions, according to the plaintiffs’ lawyer, Alex Henderson.
Silipo, through his lawyer Domenic Saverino, denied any wrongdoing and claimed to be a victim in the matter. The allegations against Silipo have not been proven in court, and he has not faced criminal charges.
The plaintiffs believed they were buying pre-construction homes from a legitimate developer, Paradise Developments, at discounted prices with low mortgage rates. However, the company they paid deposits to, “Paradise Development Homes Limited,” was not affiliated with the real developer, as previously reported by CBC News.
Another defendant in the lawsuit, Moiz Kunwar, faces charges of fraud and possession of property obtained by crime in connection with the alleged deposit scheme. Kunwar has not responded to the recent lawsuit and maintains innocence in previous court filings.
The plaintiffs accused Kunwar and Silipo of misleading them into purchasing homes that were not part of the legitimate Paradise Developments project. Silipo claimed he acted as a mere intermediary at Kunwar’s request and denied involvement in inducing the purchases or benefiting from them.
Henderson stated that Silipo did not disclose Kunwar’s contact information to the plaintiffs until they raised concerns about the agreements they signed. Legal demand letters were sent to Kunwar, Silipo, and the fake Paradise Development company to retrieve the deposits, with no success so far.
The plaintiffs have not received their deposits back, causing significant distress, especially for one client who intended to use the property for his unwell mother. The legal proceedings are ongoing, with Silipo asserting a crossclaim against other defendants if held liable.