Steve Sardinha jailed over fraud linked to Havana soil-dumping firm

Havana Group Supplies head Steve Sardinha is going to jail after pleading guilty to fraud linked to his soil-dumping company's false claims it had been awarded lucrative construction contracts.

Sardinha, 50, directed operations at Havana, a company that was the subject of a 2019 Spectator investigation into questionable business practices, as well as its role in an alleged Mob-linked soil dumping scheme at Waterdown Garden Supplies on Highway 5.

The former Ancaster resident pleaded guilty to one count of fraud over $5,000 in Cayuga court in December related to mechanical repairs and access to vehicles obtained by Havana worth about $220,000 in 2018.

Court heard from Crown Chelsey Lapointe that those services were provided upfront by a company owned by Wim Van Ravenswaay, with payment expected later - but never provided. The crown said the victim agreed to the arrangement based on false information" provided by Sardinha, including that Havana had signed agreements worth $110 million a month with entities like Metrolinx and CN.

Those contracts did not exist," said Lapointe, who suggested a conditional two-year sentence that would have meant house arrest for Sardinha, who now lives in a Burlington motel.

In a sentencing hearing Jan. 19, however, Justice Gethin Edward pointed to Sardinha's criminal record - including seven prior fraud convictions - in handing him a year and a half in real jail," instead.

He essentially is a fraudster," said the judge, who later noted Sardinha had sent at least some of his ill-gotten gain" to Cuba.

Your background is one of deceit and deception," Edward said to Sardinha at the hearing. You continue to defraud people; it becomes almost a livelihood for you. What do you say about that?"

Sardinha pledged to not act stupid anymore," noting he was in poor health and has a new son in Cuba. He said the money he sent to Cuba was for his son, whom he hopes to bring to Canada.

It won't happen anymore, sir. I'm done ... I didn't have any family until now. Now I have a little boy ... I haven't seen him unless it's by Zoom, and I really want to have a life with him."

Before handing down a sentence, Edward also pointed to a victim impact statement submitted by Van Ravenswaay.

In the statement, Van Ravenswaay suggests fraud in Canada is not taken seriously. Career fraudsters like Mr. Sardinha never go to jail, so why would they stop?" he wrote. They just plead guilty and go home, or to Cuba."

Edward imposed an 18-month prison sentence followed by two years of probation, as well as a restitution order for about $172,000.

Sardinha also faces other charges in both Halton and St. Catharines linked to Havana's past business practices.

The company faces environmental charges - and a provincial cleanup order - related to 24,000 truckloads of mystery fill sitting in piles at Waterdown Garden Supplies. The province says at least some of that dirt is polluted.

Two other individuals linked to Havana - Grant Norton and reputed Mob boss Pat Musitano - were murdered in 2020.

A $75-million lawsuit filed last year alleges city officials conspired with Musitano to allow dumping on the Waterdown Garden Supplies property. The allegations have not been tested in court and the city has said its own internal probe into the matter found no wrongdoing by municipal staffers.

Matthew Van Dongen is a transportation and environment reporter at The Spectator. mvandongen@thespec.com