Retired Toronto lawyer charged with fraud after allegedly keeping client funds

Nicole Brockbank · CBC News

· Posted: Apr 24, 2025 4:00 AM EDT | Last Updated: 1 hr ago

A suspended and retired Toronto lawyer has been charged with fraud and wealth laundering successful the aftermath of allegations from clients that helium kept their money.

CBC Toronto archetypal reported connected the allegations against Ping-Teng Tan past summer. 

At the time, 2 of Tan's clients were waiting for the lawyer to comply with tribunal decisions ordering Tan to wage them much than $1 cardinal they were collectively owed from the merchantability of a business, successful 1 case, and the merchantability of a residential property, successful the other.

Nine months aboriginal those clients inactive haven't received a cent. 

York Regional Police confirmed the force charged Tan with 2 counts of fraud implicit $5,000, 2 counts of possession of spot obtained by a crime and wealth laundering precocious past month. Police judge determination whitethorn beryllium much victims.

The charges person not yet been tested successful court.

Tan did not respond to a petition for remark for this communicative connected his idiosyncratic email. His instrumentality steadfast email was unopen down past year and the telephone fig is not successful service.

Former lawsuit Xiaolong Zhang says helium was relieved erstwhile an serviceman informed him Tan was charged with fraud successful his case. 

"I felt similar justness was yet being done," Zhang said.

WATCH | Clients retired much than $1M collectively: 

Zhang and his woman hired Tan astatine the extremity of 2023 to grip the merchantability of their car parts organisation concern successful Vaughan, Ont., to money their retirement. But they ne'er received the $517,000 successful proceeds they were owed from the merchantability — which was paid to a spot relationship acceptable up by Tan's instrumentality steadfast — not adjacent aft a justice ordered Tan to wage them their money, positive the costs of their ineligible application, past June.

"Now alternatively of enjoying our retirement, my woman and I are facing superior fiscal and affectional stress," said Zhang. "Like astir different people, we had a benignant of earthy spot successful lawyers. That spot is expected to beryllium the instauration of our ineligible system."

Still waiting to retrieve status funds

While Zhang is grateful to the police, the ongoing combat to retrieve his status wealth has near him disillusioned with the civilian tribunal process and disappointed with a compensation money for those who've mislaid wealth due to the fact that of a lawyer oregon paralegal's dishonesty.

"Mr. Tan has nary assets nether his sanction we tin spell after, truthful present each we tin bash is hold for compensation from the Law Society of Ontario," said Zhang. "This agelong and uncertain hold is incredibly achy — it feels similar a 2nd question of affectional trauma."

The Law Society of Ontario's (LSO) compensation money is funded by fees that lawyers and paralegals wage the nonrecreational regulator each year, and it has a $500,000 headdress per claim. 

Zhang filed a ailment with the LSO successful February 2024. Then past April, Tan told the instrumentality nine he'd retired and closed his practice. That aforesaid month, the LSO suspended Tan's licence, aboriginal saying determination was a hazard of harm to the public.

Tan consented to the suspension but did not admit guilt. He tin inactive contention allegations of misappropriating wealth helium held successful spot astatine a disciplinary hearing.

The LSO confirmed that nary disciplinary proceeding has been scheduled for Tan, but his licence remains suspended.

Compensation money determination tin instrumentality 2 years oregon more

The LSO lawyer handling Zhang's compensation money assertion told him successful penning past period that she'd completed her reappraisal and submitted her study connected his assertion past year, but that her study is inactive nether reappraisal and truthful she couldn't stock a timeline for a determination with Zhang. 

The connection went connected to accidental the full assertion process often exceeds 2 years.

"I cannot hold for much than 2 years to get the funds," said Zhang. 

In an emailed statement, LSO spokesperson Amy Lewis told CBC Toronto the timing of a assistance determination depends connected the timeframe successful which grounds is obtained and the fig of claims received and nether review. 

The compensation money granted 75 claims involving lawyers past year, paying retired a full of astir $2.6 million, according to an end-of-year report. The money besides denied 30 claims involving lawyers and received 69 caller claims concerning lawyers successful 2024.

As Zhang waits for his assertion decision, he's considering selling his house, but he's struggling with the thought of trusting a lawyer with the sale.

"If I brushwood this benignant of lawyer again, my beingness is gone due to the fact that the location is worthy much than double, triple of fractional million," Zhang said.

"If idiosyncratic steals that money, what americium I going to bash for the remainder of my life?"