A similar story is playing out in Vancouver and reported on in the newspapers fairly regularly, however law enforcement seem strangely reluctant to investigate, and the Canada Revenue Agency claims they don't have sufficient capability to perform audits on any of the people involved. As a result, no charges have been laid, therefore there is no "proof" ("anecdotes aren't data"), so it seems to generally be considered fake news by most people.

What's that ancient Chinese saying? May you live in interesting times?