Three individuals who co-owned the Marina Dosa and Tandoori Grill in Calgary have been sentenced to 90-day weekend jail terms for defrauding their immigrant employees. The culprits, identified as Manikandan Kasinathan, Chandramohan Marjak, and Mary Roche, were found guilty of committing fraud over $5,000 and were also placed on 18 months of probation. They were ordered to repay a total of $44,000 that they had unlawfully taken from three employees. The sentencing concluded a trial that commenced in the summer of 2024 and concluded in May 2025, resulting in the conviction by Justice Sandra Mah.
The victims, hailing from India, arrived in Calgary between 2017 and 2020 as temporary foreign workers under specific permits to work as cooks at the defendants’ eatery. They were coerced into paying exorbitant sums, falsely claimed to be government fees related to their immigration, ranging from $8,000 to $24,000 each. The reality was that under the temporary foreign workers program, employers were only mandated to pay a $1,000 processing fee for an employee’s assessment documentation. Threats of deportation were used to intimidate the workers into compliance.
One victim disclosed paying the entire $24,000, while the others paid $12,000 and $8,000, respectively. It was revealed that on payday, one of the offenders escorted the victim to deposit his wages, after which a portion was taken for the alleged fees and rent. The victim toiled for extended hours six days a week for about a year to clear the debt.
The accommodations provided by the culprits were deemed substandard, with one victim forced to share a room with two others. The victims endured verbal and physical abuse, prompting one to liken the experience to slavery. The victims eventually reported the mistreatment to the authorities.
During the trial, the accused chose not to testify in their defense. Their attorneys contended that any funds received were for legitimate expenses like rent, food, or travel, not for the fraudulent fees. However, the judge dismissed this defense argument presented by the lawyers.