A Toronto man has been sentenced to 51 months in jail after pleading guilty to fraud involving charitable donation receipts submitted to the Canada Revenue Agency.

Ambrose Danso Dapaah, formerly of Mississauga, pleaded guilty to one count of fraud over $5,000 on Dec. 15 in the Ontario Court of Justice in Toronto.

A CRA investigation revealed that Dapaah, owner and operator of ADD Accounting Services and president of CanAfrica International Foundation, prepared and filed false personal income tax returns on behalf of his clients.

His clients claimed fictitious or overstated charitable donation receipts from CIF and other charities on their income tax returns. During the 2002 to 2005 tax years, Dapaah falsified more than $21 million in charitable donations, and in doing so, helped his clients claim more than $6 million in non-refundable tax credits.

In September 2007, CRA revoked the charitable registration of CIF for its role in selling official donation receipts.

“Canadians have to be confident that the administration of the tax system is fair,” said William V. Baker, commissioner of the Canada Revenue Agency. “That’s why the Agency works to ensure that the vast majority of Canadians who pay their taxes are not penalized by those who don’t.”

IE