More insurance brokers disciplined in bridge toll avoidance scheme

The Insurance Council of B.C., has disciplined three more brokers for helping drivers avoid paying bills for bridge tolls by entering fake payment receipt numbers into the Autoplan system.

Monday's judgments bring the total decisions made public to six. The council says about 100 people are under investigation. Last month, three licensees were disciplined as part of the ongoing investigation.

On Monday, licensees Cheryl Lee Das and Heidi Martina Tonja Johnson were both fined $5,000 after ICBC discovered that for the 18-month period reviewed —  January 1, 2014 to June 15, 2015 — they had collectively entered false receipt numbers into ICBC's system 85 times.

It was also determined that, as experienced insurance agents, they both should have known their actions were a serious breach of their responsibilities.

Rabjit Singh Johal was fined $5,000 after admitting he too entered false receipts to bypass toll bridge debt for his customers, saying that if the customer did not have a receipt, he would simply put in any number.

In May, the insurance council sent out a notice about ICBC's investigation, warning brokers it "will not tolerate" the misconduct and that any broker whose name came up would be subject to an investigation.

In 2015, the Transportation Investment Corporation — the Crown corporation that manages tolls — said drivers in B.C. owed about $3 million in unpaid Port Mann bridge fines.

ICBC blocked a record-breaking 25,000 people from renewing their licence or vehicle insurance that year over outstanding bills. 

With files from Rhianna Schmunk