Deep in a Toronto basement is the former office of budget dentist, Dr. Jimmy Connolly. Though he claims to have been a dentist in Kosovo, Connolly, whose real name is Gzim Bytyqi, isn’t licensed to practice in Canada. License be damned—Jimmy has been practicing in Toronto, Ottawa, and Quebec for at least a year. Soon, his only clients may be fellow fraudsters in the joint. Illustration by Kevin McBride.......

It's the holiday season, which means that stress is high and we're not always thinking when we spend our money. But this time of year is also a busy season for fraudsters, who love to take advantage of people's holiday forgetfulness. Paying by debit is one of the easiest ways of paying for your goods, but it's the easiest to compromise. We know several people who have had thousands of dollars drained from their......

This what a bioterrorist looks like, according to the FBI. Dr. Steven Kurtz (right) is a Professor of Art at SUNY Buffalo and member of Critical Art Ensemble (CAE), an art and theatre collective co-founded by Kurtz and his late wife, Hope. In May 2004, the Kurtzes were preparing a piece called Free Range Grains, which allowed participants to test food for the presence of genetically modified organisms, when Hope died of heart failure......

With music download trends showing that the coveted male 18–24 demographic is more interested in the music of their ancestors than anything current, music store HMV is dropping CD prices on oldies like Pink Floyd and Led Zeppelin. HMV hopes that the move will convince young men to abandon the web and start stealing from retail stores again. Ontario Conservative Party leader John Tory says that, if elected, he would save $1.5 billion in......

Canadians must really, really hate their political leaders. At least that’s what a recent online poll conducted by The Beaver is saying. The Canadian history magazine asked readers who they believe to be the worst Canadian. 15,000 votes later, the results are in. On the list are four prime ministers—Chrétien ranked seventh, Harper got sixth, Mulroney got fourth, and the master of flair, Pierre Elliot Trudeau, received the most votes. Trudeau managed to beat......

Photo via Toro Magazine. Charges: Misappropriating US$60 million Acquitted: Racketeering, Tax Fraud, Mail and Wire Fraud (nine charges) Guilty: Mail Fraud (three charges) Guilty: Obstruction of Justice Sentence: Up to 35 years in prison; US$1 million fine......

What is this sailing vessel doing upside down in the RCYC City Side basin at the foot of Parliament Street? It's the carbon fibre Spirit of Canada, which was performing a mandatory test yesterday before Skipper Derek Hatfield qualifies to take the boat more than 27,000 nautical miles non-stop around the world—alone. Only 126 sailors have accomplished such a trek successfully. By comparison, more than 1,800 mountaineers have reached the summit of Mount Everest.......

Ottawa denies entrance to Nelson Mandela's wife. Winnie Madikizela-Mandela was supposed to give a speech at a fundraiser gala last night, but was told that she was denied a visa because she had been previously convicted of kidnapping and fraud. The fact that she was allowed in the United States three weeks ago means nothing. Come on, the U.S. never lets anyone in! The Ontario government is handing over $4 million to keep kids busy......

“You can try to take away my coffees and my creams. Go ahead. I’m still here. I’m still going to get re-elected." Councillors Giorgio Mammoliti and Paul Ainslie scrapped it out yesterday in city hall over free coffee. The delicious roasted bean elixir is offered free to city councillors and costs taxpayers $20,000 per year. The Art Gallery of Ontario announced a landmark donation of $10-million from twenty of Toronto's most prominent Italian-Canadian families.The......

We here in the Ist-A-Verse know that we're sensational, but it's very rare that we get a chance to be sensationalistic. This week, we've decided to have ourselves a little fun and try our hand at tacky tabloid headlines, using nothing more than our favorite posts from this week. Torontoist Special Report: Rosie to Trump: "Fire 300 Bicyclists for Fraud!" On DCist: Students Go Wild for Slogans, Secrets and Sexual Harassment The action was thick......

Each week, Torontoist chooses the most interesting cases from the Toronto Police Service crime blotter. All charges are alleged until proven under law. When the police weren't busy trying to manage opening and closing the Gardiner a bunch of times after the Great CN Tower Ice Incident of 2007, they had their hands full with some skeezy characters this week. • The Fraud Squad is in full-effect these days with yet another charity fraud arrest.......

Somewhere, Dave Meslin is weeping with joy. Today marks the launch of Rami Tabello's IllegalSigns.ca: an incredibly ambitious project that, through its comprehensive analysis of billboard advertising in Toronto, ties together a number of the loose ends of the broader public space movement. What Tabello has found – and has the hard evidence to back up – is that "half the billboards in Toronto are illegal." They have "thus far identified 350 illegal billboards,"......

Is it still shocking if you're not surprised? It's been revealed that former police chief Julian Fantino's special task force on police misconduct was most likely formed only to avoid a full-scale public inquiry. It's all spelled out in a 2001 report that's being labeled "a blueprint for how to conceal from the public the malfeasance and the corruption that had been going on in the [Toronto police service]." Golly. Another report confirms that neighborhood......

This is what you won't be mistaking for a dime in your pocket anymore: the TTC's new token. While the old token was incredibly easy to counterfeit and felt of a lesser quality than a Chuck E. Cheese coin, the new one looks a little more official and is virtually impossible to counterfeit, according to the TTC. The Commission won't tell us exact details about the token's constitution, but since the coin is recognized electronically......

It seems that Bob Rae is the Liberal candidate most likely to get Ontarians to vote for him. However, he is also the Liberal candidate most likely to get Ontarians to vote against him. Thus, Bob Rae is the Canadian version of Hillary Clinton. You heard it here first, people! New measures being taken to prevent lottery fraud. So now you can be sure when you throw your money away on a lottery ticket,......

Robert Wiszniowski gets 14 years for killing and dismembering his wife, Rose McGroarty, in Parkdale last year. Motive? She caught him smoking crack and threatened to call police. The TTC started installing security cameras on its 1,500 buses and 250 streetcars yesterday. Howard Moscoe says it's all part of a response to a "terrorist threat lingering over all transit systems," but more importantly, they're expected to deter crime and prevent driver injury. A woman was......

A seven (!!) alarm fire destroyed a building at Queen and Sherbourne. The building was occupied by a paint store which had been there since 1913. Firefighters rushed to the scene to stop the fire from spreading. King Jong Il is "very sorry" about the nuclear test. Also, the leader of Korea expressed sentiments such as "it would totally be cool" if he could have "an awesome sleepover party" sometime in the near future......

The report on options for the Gardiner is going to be released to council and the public which means there'll be a lot of talk this election about tearing the ugly sucker down. A prof is suing York University for $10 million, he thinks they have a pro-Israel bias. A prof at U ot T is getting a special room so he can smoke pot. He is legally allowed to smoke marijuana for medical......

Everyone writes about the city's revelation that thieves are using two-by-fours to bust up the city's beloved lollipop bike posts. The Star's Betsy Powell, who broke the story last week, has her piece here. The Post marvels at how city staffers who are usually slow to act in August managed to react quickly to the problem. The Sun reports that around eight bikes have been stolen from busted stands in one week alone. Finally you......

The Star weighs in on Dalton's new rent laws. The big improvement is that landlords can no longer jack up the rent permanently after making repairs, tying rent to inflations, and guaranteed hearings for those about to be evicted by non-payment of rent. Star columnist Thomas Walkom doesn't think it's enough and doesn't actually do anything to help with skyrocketing rents. The man apparently responsible for yesterday's cabbie murder may have attacked a second cabbie......

Late in the day don'ts for your edification! - Don't drink Sealtest Chocolate Milk: If it's 1%, 1 litre and has a February 7th exp. date. Apparently, it has cleaning agent in it, and three GTA residents have taken ill. - Don't believe Ann Coulter: Canada did not send forces to Vietnam, despite her protestations to the contrary in this Fifth Estate-via Gawker clip. - Don't be a victim of fraud: On this, the first......

The Ontario government is always looking out for the little guy. Well, not always. But this week for sure. November 15 marked the beginning of Consumer Awareness Week in Ontario. The week is dedicated to helping normally helpless consumers learn more about their rights and responsibilities in the marketplace, according to the Ontario government website. This year’s slogan: "Smart consumers are good for business." Minister of Consumer and Business Services Jim Watson has been preaching......