Relative, neighbours of duo named in $50M LHSC fraud lawsuit shocked
A relative and neighbours of two men at the centre of a pair of massive fraud lawsuits launched by LHSC expressed shock and disbelief
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One of two men at the centre of a pair of massive fraud lawsuits launched by London Health Sciences Centres declined to comment Thursday, while relatives and neighbours of the men expressed shock and disbelief over the allegations against them.
The hospital has filed two civil lawsuits, one for $10 million and the second for $50 million, against former hospital executives, businesses and others, including former chief executive Jackie Schleifer Taylor, alleging an LHSC executive was aided by other employees when he committed fraud during 10 years, and when the alleged procurement frauds were found out, top administrators failed to act.
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The civil lawsuits filed in Ontario Superior Court, one in June and the other Wednesday, describe an alleged scheme involving construction and facilities management contracts in which the hospital was charged for work that wasn’t done, or overcharged for what was done, with a few individuals pocketing the cash and using that money to buy real estate.
Dipesh Patel, a former high-ranking LHSC executive, and Paresh Soni, described in one of LHSC’s statements of claim as a “close personal contact” of Patel’s, are among those being sued in the $50-million action.
That lawsuit, filed Wednesday, alleges after Patel was appointed vice-president of facilities management at LHSC in 2013, he worked with others to defraud the hospital by awarding construction and facilities management contracts to several companies owned by Soni.
Soni is the owner of the GBI group of three companies and a company called BH Contractors, the claim says.
“Patel conspired with the other primary defendants to perpetrate a fraud against LHSC by improperly facilitating the award of multiple major LHSC contracts to Soni’s companies . . . He did so by, among other things, abusing his position of trust as a senior executive of LHSC,” the hospital claim says.
LHSC said in the lawsuit it was defrauded of “tens of millions” of dollars.
Statements of claim and of defence contain allegations not yet tested in court.
Thursday, Soni was at his home on Balnagowan Place, according to a woman there who only identified herself as his partner. The address is one of the properties LHSC alleges was bought using money obtained through the fraudulent scheme it contends took place.
The woman said Soni had no interest in talking to the media. “He said, ‘No comment,’” she said.
One of Soni’s neighbours, who said Soni has lived in the well-to-do neighbourhood beside the Medway Valley Forest in northwest London for several years, said he was extremely surprised by the allegations and described Soni as a “great neighbour.”
“All my neighbours are great people. I never had any issues with Paresh (Soni),” said the man, who declined to provide his name. “He was always helpful and seemed like a nice guy . . . This is a surprise.”
Harshida Choksey, who said she is a cousin of Soni, expressed similar disbelief when approached by a Free Press reporter Thursday.
“I’m just learning about this,” said the woman, who couldn’t understand why her home address on Chesham Court was listed as Soni’s primary residence in one of the lawsuit documents.
“He lived with us briefly when he came to Canada many years ago,” Choksey said. “We are really not in contact with him.”
A grey Lexus SUV was parked Thursday morning outside Patel’s home on Case Court, where neighbours said he’s lived for the past 25 years.
Despite multiple attempts throughout the day, no one answered the home’s door on Thursday.
News of the allegations against Patel also caught residents of the Sunningdale neighbourhood in north London by surprise.
“We were talking about it with my wife and couple neighbors, and, you know, you don’t know what you think,” said one of Patel’s neighbours, who declined to give his name. “I was speechless.”
The man described Patel as a good neighbour who gets along with everyone on the street.
“I know them as a good family, good parents,” he said. “It’s a shock. It’s a surprise.”
According to LHSC’s lawsuit, Soni’s GBI company received $11.2 million from LHSC for facilities management services between 2013 and 2024, the claim says.
Patel has acquired 22 properties since 1998, some through numbered companies, valued at $9.4 million and 17 were bought after BH Contractors, also owned by Soni, was awarded a hospital window replacement contract, LHSC alleges in its statement of claim involving the lawsuit against Patel.
Varsha Patel, Dipesh Patel’s spouse, has acquired 11 properties valued at $4.2 million since 1996, the same statement of claim contends.
Soni, the hospital alleges in its lawsuit, has acquired 43 properties since 2011 valued at $14.5 million, many of them owned by numbered Ontario companies.
In its statement of claim, the hospital includes a list of 98 “suspicious property holdings” in London and outside the city it contends were bought by people and companies named in the claim.
Patel was fired from LHSC in 2024 when he held the title of executive, capital redevelopment and environmental operations. He was paid an annual salary of $326,423, according to a provincial list of public-sector salaries above $100,000.
Former LHSC chief executive Jackie Schleifer Taylor; Brad Campbell, former corporate hospital administrative executive; Abhijeet (Abhi) Mukherjee, former chief financial officer; and Corpus Sanchez International Consultancy Inc., all are being sued by LHSC in the second, $10-million lawsuit.
DEFENDANTS NAMED IN $50-MILLION LAWSUIT FILED WEDNESDAY
- Dipesh Patel*
- Varsha Patel
- Paresh Soni
- Derek Lall*
- Nilesh (Neel) Modi*
- BH Contractors (owned by Soni)
- GBI Facilities Management (owned by Soni)
- GBI Data (owned by Soni)
- GBI Construction (owned by Soni)
- A numbered Ontario company, at 2026 Case Court
- 147 Pond Mills Inc. (Owned by Patel)
- A numbered Ontario company at 746 Baseline Rd. E.
- 139 Godfrey Drive Inc. (owned by Soni)
- 153 Godfrey Drive Inc. (owned by Soni)
- John Doe/Jane Doe
*former LHSC employee
DEFENDANTS NAMED IN $10-MILLION LAWSUIT FILED JUNE 13:
- Abhijeet (Abhi) Mukherjee, Hamilton*
- Bradley Campbell, Toronto*
- Jackie Schleifer Taylor, Toronto*
- Corpus Sanchez International Consultancy Inc.
*former LHSC employee
