Alberta Man Jailed for $800K COVID Fraud in Fake Drone Company Scam
Hey everyone, I want to talk about a pretty shocking case that’s been making the rounds in Canadian news lately — and it involves some serious fraud, the Canada Revenue Agency, and COVID-19 support funds that were meant to help struggling businesses. But instead of helping, one man used them to fuel gambling and luxury purchases.
So here’s what happened. A man named Leslie Sand from Brooks, Alberta, has just been sentenced to 3.5 years in jail and fined a whopping $798,709.02 after pleading guilty to fraud and tax evasion. The case came to a head on June 10, 2025, in Medicine Hat Law Courts. What makes this case even more jaw-dropping is how calculated and deliberate it all was.
Sand operated under a shell company called “Flyte Deck,” which he set up in 2018. It claimed to offer drone flight and 3D printing services, but according to court documents and prosecutors, it never did a single legitimate business activity. It was nothing more than a front to fraudulently collect federal pandemic support funds between April 2020 and August 2022.
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Over that time, he submitted 57 separate applications for business, rental, and wage subsidies — and 52 of those were approved. This wasn't a small-time operation. It was premeditated and scaled. Sand listed fake employees, some of whom were deceased, infants, or simply didn’t exist. He used multiple addresses including storage lockers and hotel rooms to claim rental support despite paying no actual rent.
And the money? He funneled over $600,000 straight into his personal accounts. He splurged on a Ram pickup, a camper, a motorcycle, and dumped nearly $50,000 into online gambling. Not exactly the kind of spending those emergency funds were intended for.
What’s more, Sand had already been serving a sentence since 2023 for unrelated crimes including firearm possession and credit fraud. During this new sentencing, the judge noted that while the total fraud exceeded $798,000, he would lower the restitution amount by around $166,000 — that being the mandatory tax evasion fine — and give Sand five years post-release to start repaying it.
In court, Sand claimed he’s turned his life around thanks to prison and Alcoholics Anonymous. He said he’s clean and sober now and vowed to make every effort to pay back what he owes. His father also spoke in support, arguing the federal government’s oversight allowed the fraud to get that far unchecked.
Now, while it's great to hear someone trying to turn things around, this case is a strong reminder of how crucial it is to have robust systems in place when rolling out public funds — especially in emergencies. The CRA worked with Medicine Hat police and the RCMP to unravel this scheme after a tip-off in 2022. And while it took some time, justice has now been served.
Let’s hope this serves as a cautionary tale for others. Abuse of public trust like this not only hurts the system but the people who genuinely needed those supports during one of the toughest times in recent memory.
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