Windsor police have charged a 36-year-old man who allegedly defrauded a local school board out of more than $2.1 million.
The Windsor Police Financial Crimes Unit launched an investigation in September 2024, after receiving a report of a fraud involving the Windsor-Essex Catholic District School Board.
“They had, come to us and advised that they had been defrauded out of a large sum of money. And as such, we launched a formal investigation,” says Sgt. Rob Durling with the Financial Crimes Unit.
Officers conducted a comprehensive investigation and determined that a suspect had fraudulently impersonated a contractor hired to complete work for the board and intercepted communication from that contractor to the school.
“The school board has capital projects they work on. This individual was able to infiltrate and impersonate one of the local contractors tied to a capital project. In doing so, they were able to successfully convince the school board officials that any money tied to the capital project could be sent to them,” says Durling.
The suspect allegedly provided new banking details to the school board, who then transferred funds intended for the contractor to the suspect’s account.
“I think due diligence really has to be the key,” says Durling. “Or you have to know on the back end who you’re sending money to, the reason why you’re sending it. And, you should take the necessary steps to ensure once you send a large sum of money, make sure that it’s going to the proper person or commercial business.”
Investigators say they identified the suspect as Tyler Nathanael Manning of Toronto. An Ontario-wide warrant was issued for his arrest, but Manning had left the country in October 2024.
On March 6, 2025, Manning was arrested after he disembarked a flight at Toronto Pearson International Airport.
He was transported back to Windsor, where he faces the following charges:
• Fraud over $5,000
• Forgery
• Uttering forged documents
• Impersonation to gain advantage (x 2)
• Obtaining by false pretenses over $5,000
• Laundering proceeds of crime
• Possession of property obtained by crime
School board statement
The WECDSB issued a statement on Friday:
“Subsequent to the statement today from the Windsor Police Service, the Windsor-Essex Catholic District School Board can confirm that it was the victim of a recent fraud.
Along with its legal counsel, the Board is currently in the process of working through the courts and with various financial institutions, and is confident that it will recover substantially all of the funds that were taken.
The WECDSB is extremely grateful for the diligence of the Windsor Police Service and the expert work of its financial crimes unit in making this arrest.
The WECDSB would like to reassure the public that at no time were its computer systems ever compromised, and that we take our role as responsible stewards of our resources very seriously.”
Anyone with information can contact the Financial Crimes Unit at 519-255-6700, ext. 4330. You can also contact Windsor & Essex County Crime Stoppers at 519-258-8477 (TIPS) or online at www.catchcrooks.com.
