A Brampton man at the centre of a growing real estate fraud investigation is now facing additional criminal charges as more alleged victims come forward, with Peel police issuing a public warning against conducting business with him.
Moiz Kunwar, 28, has been charged with three counts of fraud over $5,000 and three counts of possession of property obtained by crime, in addition to four similar charges laid earlier this year. Police say he took deposits from prospective homebuyers for pre-construction homes he had no authority to sell—properties built by a legitimate developer with no ties to him.
Now, Toronto lawyer Andrew Ballantyne says 40 to 50 more people have contacted him since May, claiming they too were scammed. He is representing seven of them in a civil lawsuit and is in the process of assisting many others in hopes of recovering their life savings.
“These are everyday people who handed over tens of thousands of dollars. Some gave their entire savings,” said Ballantyne. “It’s tragic to see.”
Kunwar is accused of misrepresenting himself as being associated with a real estate development company and collecting deposits under the name “Paradise Development Homes Limited”—a near match to the legitimate developer “Paradise Homes Inc.” Court documents allege he used the near-identical name to collect nearly $570,000 in total from buyers, without any legal right to the properties.
Peel police have now issued a public advisory warning residents to avoid any business dealings with Kunwar, as their fraud bureau continues to investigate further allegations. “We believe there are more victims out there,” said Const. Tyler Bell-Morena, encouraging anyone with information to contact the department or report anonymously through Crime Stoppers.
In an email to CBC Toronto, Kunwar stated that he intends to fully defend himself against the charges, but declined to comment further due to ongoing court proceedings. In a previously filed statement of defence, Kunwar denied all allegations, claiming he was only a sales associate receiving payments on behalf of others and was unaware of any wrongdoing.
However, the civil suits allege a pattern of deceit, including site visits where buyers were shown units they believed they were purchasing—only to find out later those units had been sold to others by the rightful builder. Many victims reportedly signed contracts and handed over deposits after being shown construction sites and hearing about low mortgage offers, deals that were widely shared among friends and family.
“It spread like wildfire,” said Ballantyne. “People saw it as a golden opportunity.”
Kunwar’s sales pitch reportedly gained traction particularly within Toronto’s Black community, where trust and word-of-mouth played a large role in spreading the scheme. CBC Toronto first began investigating Kunwar in 2022 after a local realtor raised red flags about the suspicious marketing campaign.
The legitimate developer, Paradise Developments Inc., has since publicly stated Kunwar was never authorized to sell any of their homes, and had no legal or business relationship with the company.
Despite growing scrutiny, Ballantyne says Kunwar continued to collect deposits for pre-construction homes as recently as spring 2024. When buyers began to question delays and unfulfilled promises, many say they were reassured with plausible explanations—until the truth eventually surfaced.
As the case unfolds in both criminal and civil courts, dozens of would-be homeowners remain hopeful they’ll see justice—and possibly some of their money—returned.