Team Lease Directors Sentenced for $1.3M Tax Evasion
Summary
The Canada Revenue Agency announced that Ghansham Vania and Davinder Vania, sole directors of temporary staffing agency Team Lease, were sentenced January 16, 2026, in Newmarket Courthouse to conditional sentences of two years less a day. Ghansham Vania was fined $450,000 and Davinder Vania was fined $500,000 for one count of fraud over $5,000 under the Criminal Code. The investigation revealed they diverted corporate funds into 31 personal bank accounts, underreporting $1.3 and $1.5 million respectively on their 2013-2016 tax returns and evading $394,103 and $452,784 in federal income taxes respectively.
What changed
Ghansham Vania and Davinder Vania, sole directors of Team Lease temporary staffing agency, were sentenced to conditional sentences of two years less a day and fined $450,000 and $500,000 respectively after pleading guilty to fraud over $5,000. The CRA investigation found they diverted over $1.3 million in corporate funds into 31 personal bank accounts, purchasing properties in Ontario and Florida. They underreported income of $1.3 and $1.5 million respectively for 2013-2016, evading $394,103 and $452,784 in federal taxes.
Companies and individuals must ensure all income is properly reported on tax returns and that only legitimate benefits are claimed. Tax evasion is a serious crime carrying criminal charges, prosecution, court-imposed fines, jail time, and criminal records. Beyond court sentences, convicted taxpayers must repay the full tax owed plus interest and penalties. The CRA continues to aggressively pursue tax evasion and false claims using all available tools.
What to do next
- Report suspected tax evasion to the CRA
- Ensure all income is reported and benefits claimed are legitimate
- Be aware that tax evasion may result in criminal charges, fines, and imprisonment
Penalties
Ghansham Vania: $450,000 fine and 2 years less a day conditional sentence; Davinder Vania: $500,000 fine and 2 years less a day conditional sentence; Both must repay full tax owed plus interest and penalties
Archived snapshot
Apr 16, 2026GovPing captured this document from the original source. If the source has since changed or been removed, this is the text as it existed at that time.
TORONTO, Jan. 20, 2026 /CNW/ - The Canada Revenue Agency (CRA) announced today that Ghansham Vania (also known as Gansham Vania) and Davinder Vania, of Vaughan, Ontario, were sentenced January 16, 2026, in the Newmarket Courthouse, to conditional sentences of two years less a day. Ghansham Vania was fined $450,000, and Davinder Vania was fined $500,000. Ghansham Vania and Davinder Vania each pleaded guilty to one count of fraud over $5,000 under the Criminal Code.
Ghansham Vania and Davinder Vania were the sole directors and officers of the business "Team Lease", which provided temporary labour services to companies in the Greater Toronto Area. A CRA investigation revealed that Ghansham Vania and Davinder Vania used Team Lease's corporate funds for their personal use. These funds were diverted from Team Lease's corporate accounts into 31 personal bank accounts held in their names or in the names of their family members and from there, used for personal purposes. Some of the money was traced to the purchase of properties held in their names in Ontario and in Florida, United States. These funds were taxable benefits as well as income obtained from Team Lease but were not reported in Ghansham Vania and Davinder Vania's personal income tax returns, therefore underreporting over $1.3 and $1.5 million respectively on their individual income tax returns for the years of 2013-2016. In doing so, Ghansham Vania evaded a total of $394,103 in federal income taxes and Davinder Vania, a total of $452, 784.
All case-specific information above was obtained from the court records.
Tax evasion is a serious crime. Falsifying records and claims, hiding income, or inflating expenses can lead to criminal charges, prosecution, court imposed fines, jail time, and a criminal record. For the five-year period between April 1, 2020, to March 31, 2025, the courts convicted and sentenced 106 taxpayers for evading or attempting to evade the payment of more than $39 million of taxes. As of March 31, 2025, these taxpayers were fined a total of $24.5 million and 49 individuals were sent to jail for a total of more than 98 years.
In addition to the court imposed fines and/or jail sentences, convicted taxpayers have to pay the full amount of tax owing, plus related interest and any penalties assessed by the CRA.
The CRA is dedicated to maintaining the integrity of Canada's tax system, thereby contributing to the social and economic well-being of Canadians. The CRA continues to aggressively pursue tax evasion, and false claims with all the tools available to it. The CRA works to make sure that individuals and businesses report all income earned and only claim benefits to which they are entitled, so that important benefit programs can be administered to those who need them. Any individual or business who underreports income, or claims losses or benefits to which they are not entitled may have to repay the benefit amounts and may be subject to other possible action.
The CRA has set up a free subscription service to help Canadians stay current on the CRA's enforcement efforts.
Associated links
Reporting suspected tax or benefit cheating in Canada
Tax evasion, understanding the consequences
Contacts:
Media Relations Canada Revenue Agency
613-948-8366
[email protected]
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Canada Revenue Agency
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