top of page

47 de rezultate găsite cu o căutare fără conținut

  • Class Action Law Suits | VOSMI Main Site

    Class Action Law Suits Current Proposed Class Action Law Suits & Settlements Lawyers Mitchell Wine, of MSTW Professional Corporation and Margaret Waddell of Sotos joined forces in prosecuting five proposed class actions relating to syndicated mortgage loans (SMLs) promoted by Fortress Real Developments Inc. and Fortress Real Capital Inc. Five proposed class actions pertain to the following developments: Collier Centre – (2012 syndicated mortgage loan only) Progress Manors Ten88 Sutton/The Link Harmony Village Lake Simcoe/The Kemp Orchard Calgary – only in respect of the charge registered as Registration No. 141 112 373. Details of the proposed class actions, as well as statements of claims, and settlements can be found on the Sotos website. (search Fortress). Partial Settlements There have been 5 settlements thus far. Please refer to the Sotos website, or the FAAN website for details. https://www.faanmortgageadmin.com/fortress/english How can I get my money back? Many investors have asked us how they can get their money back. We have carefully looked at various avenues for recovery. Other Class Action Pursuits An investigation team comprised of a lawyer, researcher and a forensic accountant had worked diligently with the help of Rose Ray , to create a report that would be used to highlight potential law suits pertaining to Fortress. A potential Class action lawsuit against Lamb Development Corp was filed, however unfortunately the law firm Groia advised they were unable to pursue the lawsuit further. Archived communications regarding this endeavour can be found here . Another law firm, Kallochlian Myers LLP filed a Statement of Claim in 2020 against Olympia Trust Company for the registered funds investors. However, on June 19, 2023, the Court of Appeal for Ontario has dismissed the appeal of the order dismissing the motion for certification. A copy of the decision is available here . If you are an investor who has approached a law firm regarding a class action law suit against other Fortress related parties not mentioned on our website, please let us know. Q & A Current Proposed Class Action Law Suits & Settlements 1. Why wasn't my project / developer chosen for the class action law suit headed by Mitchell Wine and Sotos? This would likely be due to the fact that the lead plaintiffs invested in the particular projects listed above. An investigation team comprised of a lawyer, researcher and a forensic accountant had worked diligently with the help of Rose Ray , to create a report that would be used to highlight potential law suits pertaining to Fortress. A potential Class action lawsuit against Lamb Development Corp was filed, however unfortunately the law firm Groia advised they were unable to pursue the lawsuit further. Archived communications regarding this endeavour can be found here . Another law firm, Kallochlian Myers LLP had filed a Statement of Claim in 2020 against Olympia Trust Company for the registered funds investors. However, on June 19, 2023, the Court of Appeal for Ontario has dismissed the appeal of the order dismissing the motion for certification. A copy of the decision is available here . While class actions are designed to give many people a chance to seek justice together, they are also very long, complex, and costly. 2. Why does it take so long to recover the funds for a class action law suit? We understand this is the question most victims ask. Unfortunately, recovering money through a class action lawsuit is not quick or simple. • Class actions take years to move through the courts. • Defendants often fight every step, which adds delays. • Even if successful, legal costs and fees are deducted before any money is shared. Class actions can hold wrongdoers accountable and sometimes lead to financial settlements, but they are a long, uncertain process with no guarantee of full recovery. 3. Can we sue the co-founders of Fortress Real Developments? In fraud cases like this, much of the money is often hidden or moved offshore, making recovery extremely difficult. time consuming and expensive. 4. I didn't receive my class action law suit settlement payment. Who do I contact? Please contact the Claims Administrator - FAAN Mortgages . They can be reached at 1 (833) 495-3338 or by email at info@faanmortgageadmin.com.

  • About the Trial | VOSMI Main Site

    Coming up! December 3, 2025 Sentencing Submission Hearing Courthouse Details: Location: 10 Armoury Street, Toronto, Ontario (walking distance from subways & City Hall) Room # 1003 Start Time 10 am Court is Open to the Public Tried by judge only (no jury) Zoom is not available. JOIN US! *Sentencing Submission Hearing Crown and defense argue the sentence length. During the hearing, the judge considers arguments, evidence, victim impact statements before deciding on the appropriate sentence. About the trial Fortress Criminal Trial R. v Rathore & Petrozza The criminal trial for the Principals of Fortress Real Developments began October 28, 2024, through to May 28, 2025, with the Sentencing Submission Hearing to take place on December 3, 2025. Jawad Rathore and Vince Petrozza were criminally charged in June, 2022 with Fraud and Secret Commissions for their role in promoting Fortress Syndicated Mortgage Loan “SML” investments. The RCMP IMET began their investigation in 2015, and in 2018 executed their search warrants, and seized items from Fortress and their affiliate brokerages (Centro/BDMC, FDS, FMP, & FFM). The prosecution chose to focus on 2 projects during the trial - Sky City and Collier. On May 28, Justice D. Moore delivered his guilty verdict. The trial summary can be read here. Q & A 1. Who are Jawad Rathore and Vince Petrozza? Rathore and Petrozza are the founders and principals of Fortress Real Development. Rathore is the CEO, and Petrozza is the COO. Petrozza was also the principal broker for Centro/BDMC. Fortress and its affiliated brokerages raised over $920 million in syndicated mortgage investments to help fund the "soft costs" of their developments. Investors who were everyday "mom & pop" investors were led to believe the SML investments were secure and low risk. In total, over $900 million was raised from all syndicated mortgage investments. Thousands of investors have lost their life savings investing in Fortress SMLs. 2. Why are they being tried in a criminal court? Rathore and Petrozza were criminally charged with Fraud and Secret Commissions after a lengthy RCMP investigation. It is alleged that the founders of Fortress Real Developments engaged in fraud by orchestrating an ongoing scheme whereby they did not disclose the various risks to brokers and investors of syndicated mortgages. 3. What is a syndicated mortgage? A syndicate mortgage is a group of individuals who lend money privately to a borrower to finance real estate developments, such as residential condo buildings. In the case of Fortress Real Development Inc, loans were secured against a major development proposal known as a Syndicated Mortgage Investment (“SMI”).These funds were primarily to finance the ‘soft costs’ of a real estate development. They are also referred to as Syndicated Mortgage Loans (SML) as the investors in effect leant money to the borrower (developer). 4. Is zoom available for this trial? Unfortunately there are technical issues that prevent the trial from being shared over zoom. If you are able to attend in person, there are many TTC options for those of you in the GTA. Please go to the Trip Planner site for assistance. https://www.ttc.ca/trip-planner 5. What should I expect at the courthouse? What can I bring? Please refer to the courtroom guidelines and etiquette. 6. Which projects are they focussing on during the trial? Even though Fortress raised money for over 70 projects, (there were about 45 at the time of the RCMP raid), the RCMP narrowed their investigation on Collier, Crates Landing/South Shore, Harmony Village & Sky City. 7. Who is the prosecutor? It is crown attorney Scott Patterson. CBC Developers found guilty of defrauding investors out of retirement savings in Barrie, Winnipeg Read More Global News Fortress Real Developments co-founders found guilty of fraud Read More Investment Executive Fortress pair convicted on fraud charges Read More

  • About | VOSMI

    VOSMI is a group of investors of Syndicate Mortgages through Fortress Real Developments Inc. We are sharing our stories, and joining together so that our voices can be heard. Are YOU a VOSMI? You're not alone. We were promised: 8% fixed interest with with principal secured Investment's backed by the security of the physical property much like a bank with a regular mortgage Repayment of principal at end of mortgage term RRSP, TFSA, LIRA eligible Safe & Low Risk Investment What we discovered: The Investment was indeed high risk The Current "as is" value was Grossly inflated The Loan to Value Ratio exceeded 100% up to over 300%. Read more here . Failed projects (eg. Collier, Harmony,) resulted in no funds remaining to repay the syndicate investors (ie VOSMIS) The independent legal advice was paid for by Fortress RDI Undisclosed commission fees of 35%, were deducted from investor's principal 8% fees were deducted from the investor's principal Questions about your particular project and investment with Fortress? Please contact FAAN Mortgage Administrators . They were appointed by the courts as trustee over all of the Fortress projects. Linda "I was ashamed that I was duped into doing this investment - I thought that I was smarter than that. This just proves how we were conned." Andrew “The way it was sold to me – and I think everybody – is... you’d be a fool to not want to invest; it was so lucrative. This was a no-brainer. You were investing on real properties and developments. Back then, there was a big condo boom, especially in the Greater Toronto Area (GTA)” you are not alone Thousands were affected. Together, we stand stronger you are not to blame The responsibility lies with those who orchestrated the fraud. Justice takes time The legal process can seem slow and frustrating, but every step brings the truth forward. your feelings are valid Anger, grief and frustration are natural. Healing takes time. Your feelings are valid. You are not alone. We created a word cloud with our investors emotions and reactions as they navigate through this emotional and financial journey. Do these emotions and thoughts resonate with you? About VOSMI is a non-profit organization formed by victims of the largest mortgage investment fraud in Canada's history. We are the individuals directly impacted by the Fortress Real Developments Inc syndicated mortgage fraud, coming together to share resources, raise awareness, and support one another. Are you a victim? You are not alone. Our group was first formed on Facebook in 2018 by a victim of the Fortress fraud who felt she had to connect with other Fortress investors. Slowly, the group grew to over 800 members, with hundreds of additional subscribers on our website. We hope this website provides victims and their families with some resources, information, and support. Helpful Resources Join our private VOSMI group! Sign up for our Newsletter! Helpful victim resources from these sites: CRVC (Canadian Resource for Victims of Crime ) Navigating the Justice System Helping Victims of Fraud Recover The Serious Fraud Office Ontario-Victim Resources “There’s this unfair sense from others who hear these stories that these people should’ve known better, and that’s unfortunate because every one of us in this day and age is susceptible.” Vanessa Iafolla, Anti-Fraud Intelligence Consultant. ‘The forgotten impact’: Helping victims of financial fraud deal with emotional distress CTV News Sep 6, 2025- Pat Tenney

  • Help | VOSMI Main Site

    We are in this Together. Help by Contributing. VOSMI is completely administered on a volunteer basis, with the goal to inform the Fortress investors of the latest developments in possible class action law suits, to clarify questions related to project status, and also simply to help investors understand how this fiasco happened to them. The costs related to VOSMI are two-fold. First, there are costs associated with running the website and email newsletters (via Wix platform). This cost is approximately $700 per year. The second cost is the research that has been undertaken with regards to Class Action Law suits. In order to launch a Class Action Law suit, an intense amount of research is required to review whether a law suit is viable. In 2019, an anonymous investor contributed $50,000 in 2019 in order to start the work. A further contribution of $10,000 was paid by investor Rose Ray to help cover legal and other costs. The work of the investigative team led by Darryl Levitt and his team , was instrumental in the recent class action law suit launched by Groia & Company law firm against Brad Lamb. Unfortunately, Groia & Company decided to not to pursue the law suit against Brad Lamb as they did not feel it was viable. On the other hand, the report created by the investigative team has also been shared with lawyers Mitchell Wine and Margaret Waddell who have current class action law suits in the works . We are asking the investors (and also any referral agents or brokers) to help compensate for our costs by contributing $25 or whichever amount you can afford. Simply click the button below, and you can either make the contribution with your credit card via Paypal, or an e-transfer via your own online banking to info@vosmi.ca . We appreciate your support. After all, we are all in this together. Contribute

  • Oct 18 protest-Ottawa | VOSMI Main Site

    Ottawa Protest- Parliament Hill, Ottawa Our third protest took place in Ottawa, October 18, 2019. Will the government increase funding to fight White Collar Crime? Many thanks to those who came out to support us!

  • Darryl Levitt | VOSMI Main Site

    Darryl Levitt Law Darryl Levitt practises law Ontario and is also qualified as a lawyer in South Africa. His area of expertise is corporate finance, energy, and white collar crime investigations. Darryl has worked on many high-profile assignments including the merger of Petro Canada and Suncor for a value of $55bn, the IPO of First Uranium for $265m, the RTO of Pelawan and concurrent financing of $165m. He has also worked on public interest matters including the recent Air Ethiopia aviation disaster, and a large multinational securities law violations case and whistleblower filings. Prior to starting to his own practice, Darryl was a senior lawyer at two multinational law firms. Darryl has consistently been recognized by his peers and clients by the independent WWL as a leading global practitioner in his area of practise. Darryl Levitt Law Counsel Deloitte Building 400 Applewood Crescent Suite 100 Vaughan ON, L4K 0C3 Darryl@darryllevitt.com Reception: 905-482-8089

  • Mailing List Form | VOSMI Main Site

    Please complete the following fields to join our mailing list in order to receive updates and newsletters. Send Thanks! Message sent. Please check your junk mail to ensure you do not miss our emails.

  • Feb 3 Update | VOSMI Main Site

    Feb 3, 2020 Watch Rose Ray's Update regarding our potential class action law suit.

  • Did you Know? | VOSMI Main Site

    Did you Know? What's an LTV and why does it matter? The loan-to-value (LTV) ratio shows how much money is being borrowed compared to the actual value of the land. The land is supposed to be the safety net for investors: if a project fails, the land can be sold and the loan repaid. A lower LTV means more protection, because the land is worth more than the loan. Typically, lenders will not lend more than about 85% of the land’s value. If the land is overvalued, investors are exposed to much greater risk. In the case of Fortress Real Developments, the land values were inflated, and investors were misled into thinking their money was secure, when it wasn't. For example, in the Collier Centre Project (Barrie, ON) investors lent $16.9 million to the project. They were told the land was worth $21.9 million, which suggested an LTV of about 77% -appearing safe. But in reality, an appraisal showed the land was worth only $7 million. The $21.9 Million figure was a future based evaluation. That meant the true LTV was over 200%. This was far riskier than investors had been led to believe.When the project collapsed, the land sale could not cover the debt. Since investors were also ranked fifth in repayment priority, there was no money left to pay them back . Another supposed advantage to investing in Fortress SMLs was the 8% interest rate. This rate 8% was far more attractive than GIC's, or bonds. What you weren't told, was about returns provided in the mortgage market. Under MBLAA, the following comparative information was required by law to be disclosed to you by FSCO licensed parties. Did you know that the private lenders who lend on first mortgages on commercial properties only lend 65% of their as-is appraised value at 9-12%. Land loans on farmland are done by few private lenders and they loan 50% of their as-is appraised value. Private lenders will provide first mortgages on houses up to 80% at 8% return, and on second mortgages lend up to 85% of as-is appraised value at 10-15% for a one year term. Compare these loan to values and returns, to your 8% return at well over 100% of as-is appraised value. Fortress did not provide as-is values. They provided opinions of value, which are not appraisals. Fortress opinions of value were based on future value. You were equity investors in these projects, which means that you should have received an ownership interest in the project and/or share of profits, as you were unknowingly were taking a lot of risk. Even as an equity investor you would not invest if your investment was much more than 100% of as-is appraised value. Fortress stated in their marketing and legal documentation that their LTVs were based on "as is" values- where in reality the LTVs were based on future values. This misrepresentation was detrimental to your investment, because if something went wrong with the project, there would not be enough assets to repay the investments as the loan was much higher than the value of the land. There are a few lenders who provide soft cost loans to developers by way of a first mortgage at 20-30%, plus fees, and these lenders do not postpone to construction financing. Meaning, if they lend money towards a project, they only do so on the condition that their position in rank cannot be moved or postponed. If they lend as 2nd mortgage, they stay at 2nd without any sneaky clauses that postpone them to 3rd. Do you think that this is a good comparison to the Fortress mortgages you invested in? Your return was 8%. Remember how you were promised 2nd mortgage, but you were moved like a hot potato to 3rd, 4th or even 5th mortgage? A private lender would never, ever, sign-off on such an agreement. The reason the lenders charge these rates and fees is because they know that they can lose money if the land is not rezoned and even if it is, that the developer does not get the necessary presales, that they will lose money. All the benefits went to Fortress. They collected a 35% fee and 50% of the profits. The investors took all of the risk and only were to be paid 8%. This structure was completely unfair to investors. Now you understand why the RCMP obtained its search warrant. Fraud, section 380 of the Criminal Code, includes misrepresenting the value and placing the victim at risk of economic harm.

  • Developers | VOSMI Main Site

    The Developers who partnered with Fortress Over 25 real estate developers partnered with Fortress Developments. Lamb Development Corp partnered with Fortress on 14 real estate projects. Lamb failed to repay over $47 Million to the Syndicate Mortgage investors. Developer Pie Chart

  • Victims of Syndicated Mortgage Investments | VOSMI

    VOSMI is an information & resource website for Fraud Victims of Syndicated Mortgage Investments, related to Fortress Real Development Syndicated Mortgages. VOSM I is a non-profit organization formed by victims of the largest mortgage investment fraud in Canada's history. We are the individuals directly impacted by the Fortress Real Developments Inc syndicated mortgage fraud, coming together to share information, raise awareness, and support one another. Fortress Real Developments raised over $920 million in syndicate mortgage investments from 14,000 "mom & pop" investors between 2008 and 2017, to help finance over 50 development projects. Investors were led to believe these were safe, low risk investments. After a lengthy and complex investigation which began in 2018, the RCMP charged the principals of Fortress on June 22, 2022 with Fraud and Secret Commissions. On May 28, 2025 the duo were found guilty of fraud. Sentencing hearing to take place December 3, 2025. Guilty of Fraud Read More Vince Petrozza and Jawad Rathore were the co-founders of Fortress Real Developments. Fortress partnered with over 25 real estate developers on over 50 projects. Read the timeline to learn more about the Fortress Syndicated Mortgage scheme. Timeline "I find beyond a reasonable doubt that they both intentionally misled investors about the value of their secured interest in order to induce them into investing." Justice D. Moore FORTRESS TRIAL R. v Rathore & Petrozza The Real Numbers 14,000 investors The number of Canadians that invested in Fortress Real Developments syndicate mortgage loans $920 Million The total amount raised by Fortress Real Developments from the syndicate mortgage investors $420 Million Total funds lost to date by the Fortress syndicate investors.

  • Contact | VOSMI

    How to contact us, whether you have a general inquiry, or whether you are an investor. INVESTOR / GENERAL INQUIRIES Please complete your information below and we will get back to you. If you have any project specific questions, please contact FAAN Mortgages . Thank you. Thank you. We will get back to you shortly. Send

vosmi.jpg

©2019 by VOSMI. Proudly created with Wix.com

bottom of page