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A fifth man has pleaded guilty to his role in a series of extortion cases targeting homebuilders in Edmonton’s South Asian community.
Parminder Singh appeared in an Edmonton courtroom via CCTV Tuesday morning, wearing his orange prison jumpsuit.
He was sentenced to seven-and-a-half years in prison after pleading guilty to several firearms and an extortion charge for his role what police call “Project Gaslight,” a criminal syndicate that threatened victims with property damage and death if they failed to pay the criminals money.
“Project Gaslight” was an organized crime spree targeting builders in Edmonton’s South Asian community with shootings and threats of arson unless they paid the criminals money.
File Photo
While Singh, who was just 20 at the time, wasn’t in direct contact with the victims, he fired several shots in a drive-by-shooting that targeted a victim’s house.
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When a police officer later approached Singh’s car, he fired several shots and ran off.
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Even after being caught and kept in custody, police say he was directing other members of the organization and helping with strategy..
Court of King’s Bench Justice John Henderson told Singh, while his guilty plea was considered to be a mitigating factor, as a mid to high level member of a criminal organization, he deserved harsh sentence because his actions had a profound impact on the victims.
While Singh didn’t address the court, his lawyer said he is remorseful of his actions.
Taking into account time already served, Singh has just over four years left on his sentence.
As an immigrant to Canada, he also faces deportation.
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