In the summer of 2023, northern Ontario ironworker Jonathon Pearce filed bogus tax returns to the Canada Revenue Agency, falsely claiming he was owed refunds going back several years totalling more than $40 million.
Internal records obtained by CBC's the fifth estate show the agency did not check the veracity of the returns and two weeks later began sending out the refunds in instalments to Pearce's bank account, including a $10-million deposit on Aug. 8, 2023.
Pearce, a longtime resident of Temiskaming Shores, 500 kilometres north of Toronto, initially declined an interview.
But when fifth estate co-host Steven D'Souza knocked on his door recently, Pearce said he was as surprised as anyone when the millions landed in his personal bank account.
"I thought [the CRA] would turn around and say, 'I'm sorry, sir, this doesn't work that way.' Next thing you know, [I was] getting a refund," he said. "Well, this is an easy way to create money."
WATCH | Explaining his perspective:
When the fifth estate knocked on his door, Jonathon Pearce was initially reluctant to talk but spent more than an hour explaining his perspective as hidden cameras rolled.
A fifth estate investigation has found that Pearce is one of a growing movement of so-called "sovereigns" who believe Canada as a country does not exist. Following debunked online conspiracy theories, they have successfully duped the CRA into repeatedly handing over millions in bogus refunds, taking advantage of massive gaps in the...
In the summer of 2023, northern Ontario ironworker Jonathon Pearce filed bogus tax returns to the Canada Revenue Agency, falsely claiming he was owed refunds going back several years totalling mor...