• Toronto Illegal Gambling Rules
• Toronto Canada Illegal Gambling
• Toronto Illegal Gambling Laws

The owner of a multimillion-dollar mansion seized by police this summer for running an illegal gambling operation and for illegal possession of weapons was a guest at one of the cash-for-access fundraisers attended by Prime Minister Justin Trudeau in 2016.

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Toronto police lay criminal charges at alleged illegal gambling club Officers found 10 people inside Marlee and Lawrence property News Dec 06, 2020 by Dominik Kurek Toronto.com.

Police have charged Wei Wei, 52, with a number of crimes, including operation of an illegal casino at his property in Markham, north of Toronto; illegal possession of weapons, and possession of proceeds of crime. York Regional Police made the details of the arrest public last week. The raid on the alleged operation in July was part of a larger crackdown on illegal gaming operations in the Greater Toronto Area, dubbed Project Endgame.

Multiple sources have confirmed to The Epoch Times that Wei Wei was one of the guests at a fundraising event the prime minister attended with wealthy members of the Chinese community in Toronto on May 19, 2016. Wei Wei is seen in a group photo with Trudeau at the event, as part of a series of photos of the fundraiser published by Chinese-language media in 2016.

The fundraiser drew strong criticism from the opposition due to the background of some of the guests in attendance. Then-interim Conservative Party leader Rona Ambrose said Trudeau’s attendance at the event where “Chinese billionaires” paid for access to the prime minister “does not pass the smell test.”

One of the guests, Zhang Bin, is a billionaire who acts as an adviser to the Beijing regime. Zhang, a member of China’s 12th National Committee of the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference, along with a partner, donated $1 million to the Pierre Elliott Trudeau Foundation and the University of Montreal Faculty of Law, which Pierre Trudeau graduated from, following the event, according to The Globe and Mail.

Another guest whose presence proved controversial for the Liberals was Shenglin Xian. At the time, Xian was awaiting final approval from federal bank regulators to open a bank in Canada. The Liberals have said his application wasn’t discussed at the event.

Elections Canada records show that an individual named Wei Wei, a resident of Markham, donated $551 to a regional Liberal Party association on May 16, 2016. Records also show that a Markham resident named Wei Wei donated $1,200 to a Liberal candidate in November 2014, and $205.68 to a regional Liberal Party association in December 2015.

The Liberal government introduced legislation to end cash-for-access fundraising in 2017 following the controversy.

The Prime Minister’s Office referred a request for comment to the Liberal Party. A spokesperson for the Liberal Party didn’t answer questions as to whether there were any interactions between Wei Wei and Trudeau at the event, but instead said the party is in compliance with all regulations for fundraising.

“No donations can be accepted from corporations, trade unions, or associations; individual contributions are strictly limited; and all contributions over $200 are publicly and proactively disclosed on the Elections Canada website both quarterly and annually,” Braeden Caley said in an email.

According to police, Wei Wei’s $9 million mansion in Markham was operated as a high-end illegal casino. In the July raid, police arrested 32 people and seized 11 firearms—including an AR-15 rifle—and ammunition, more than $1 million in cash, gaming machines and tables, and more than $1.5 million in alcohol.

The illegal operations included slot machines and a baccarat table with the maximum bet set at $20,000. The menu included an extensive choice of liquor as well as illegal shark fin.

Police raided two other properties in the greater Toronto area in July as part of investigations into illegal gambling operations. In total, around 30 people have been charged with more than 70 criminal offences as a result of the police operation.

“The money moving through these underground casinos leads to huge profits for criminals that fund other ventures such as prostitution and drug trafficking,” York Regional Police Chief Jim MacSween said in a statement.

“This illegal high-stakes gambling also leads to gun violence, armed robberies, kidnappings, extortion, and other serious violent offences within our community.”

Police have seized a sprawling mansion in a quiet, high-end neighbourhood north of Toronto, along with a million dollars in cash, $1.5 million in alcohol, 11 firearms and thousands of rounds of ammunition after investigators uncovered the luxury home was allegedly operating as an illegal casino and spa.

York Regional Police unveiled the details of their investigation, dubbed 'Project Endgame,' at a news conference in Markham, Ont., in front of the gates of the 20,000-sq.-ft. estate Wednesday. Police say it was the site of a massive underground gambling operation, complete with slot machines, mahjong tables, a full cash bar with thousands of bottles of top-shelf alcohol and a banking area.

Toronto Illegal Gambling Rules

Upstairs was a series of bedrooms that appeared to operate as a bed and breakfast. The owner and operator also had a bedroom in the home, where investigators say they found a fully loaded AR-15 rifle with a 30-round magazine along with a 9-mm handgun.

'This is organized crime truly exploiting and demonstrating their money, their positions and opulence thinking somehow that they are above the law,' York police's Deputy Chief Brian Bigras told reporters at Wednesday's press conference.

Police began hearing about the operations around late 2019, but it was during the COVID-19 pandemic that operations seemed to ramp up significantly, said Supt. Mike Slack.

Investigators first executed a search warrant at a Toronto residence on Midland Avenue on July 3, where five people were arrested for gaming offences, and investigators seized gambling tables, video slot machines and $25,000 in cash.

The investigation indicated that illegal gambling was also going on at the Markham mansion, and on July 17, York police, together with the Durham Regional Police Service and Ontario Provincial Police staged a plan to enter the mansion with tactical teams.

WATCH Police divulge details of massive gaming house bust:

But a helicopter flyover ahead of the operation found several children in the backyard being served by wait staff during what appeared to be a kind of special event. With armed guards stationed around the home, police decided to call off the operation, deciding the situation was too dangerous.

Toronto Canada Illegal Gambling

On July 23, a team of 32 investigators and 92 tactical officers descended on the home, where they uncovered what they say was a fully functioning casino operation and arrested dozens of people including the alleged owner and operator, a 32-year-old man.

But the investigation didn't end there.

Toronto Illegal Gambling Laws

Following that raid, police also identified another location in Vaughan, which they identified as the personal residence of one of the gaming house keepers. That individual, a 52-year-old man, was arrested along with his wife and daughter. Police also seized $70,000 and another $10 million in assets.

Twenty-nine people now face some 74 charges in connection with the investigation.

Since then, police say, they've executed another five gaming warrants that have led to 47 others being arrested. Those arrests are not currently believed to be linked to the Project Endgame operation, but police say they illustrate that illegal gaming in the area is not limited only to high-end operations.

'Although this location is extravagant and is clearly where the privileged were invited to play ... in the other locations organized crime is preying on the less fortunate, addicted gambler,' said Slack.

Some of those sites were in such poor condition, Slack said, they could be condemned.

'Instead of providing high-end scotch and wine, gamblers were given methamphetamine and other drugs to keep them awake and gambling,' he said.

Police say they suspect sex trafficking was also taking place at the mansion and that their investigation remains ongoing.

'The money moving through these underground casinos leads to huge profits for criminals that fund other ventures such as prostitution and drug trafficking. This illegal high-stakes gambling also leads to gun violence, armed robberies, kidnappings, extortion and other serious violent offences within our community,' said Chief Jim MacSween.

'We will continue to target organized crime in York Region and use every tool at our disposal, including forensic accounting, to ensure these criminals are held accountable.'