Another 53 TTC employees have quit, been fired or retired to avoid being dismissed since September amid a benefits fraud investigation, the transit agency said Wednesday.A total of 223 employees have left since the probe began in 2014, according to the TTC statement.Receipts were given to TTC employees by Healthy Fit — a health-care products and service provider — where reimbursements were made but “no product or services were being obtained,” and receipt amounts were “inflated,” agency officials said.Adam Smith, the proprietor of the health company, was found guilty of two counts of fraud over $5,000 and sentenced to two years in a federal penitentiary. Ten TTC employees faced fraud charges, with four pleading guilty.The TTC has collected more than $82,000 back from those employees. “The TTC’s internal investigation continues. Where evidence shows the TTC’s benefits plan was billed inappropriately, demands for repayment are made and employees face discipline, up to and including dismissal,” the statement read.The agency announced last fall that it was suing Manulife Financial, Smith and Healthy Fit for up to $5 million, “alleging that Manulife Financial did not have appropriate fraud management controls in place nor were there systems in place to detect and analyze unusual trends or patterns that might indicate fraud or abuse.”“The TTC maintains that Manulife breached its duties of care, which contributed to the losses suffered by the TTC and, ultimately, the public.”Since the start of their investigation, the TTC said it has seen a reduction in benefits claims costs of more than $7 million.
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