Ontario revokes license of dentist who changed name after helping Iran evade sanctions
Regulators have revoked an Ontario dentist’s license after Global News revealed he was practicing under an assumed name following a conviction for helping Iran evade sanctions.
Dr. Aurash Cohen is no longer eligible to practice in the province, according to the Royal College of Dental Surgeons of Ontario, which revoked his certificate on November 20.
A spokeswoman for the college said she could not provide details about the charges.
But he said dentists seeking certification “are required to disclose their history of criminal conduct, in any area, on their application for registration in Ontario.”
“The application form is legal evidence – dentists are required to demonstrate the accuracy of the content of their application when it is submitted,” Lesley Byrne said in a statement.
This decision came six weeks after Global News reported that “Dr. Cohen” was actually Arash Yousefijam, an Ontario resident who pleaded guilty in 2021 to running a scheme to evade Iran sanctions.
Together with his brother Amin Yousefijam, he sent sensitive manufacturing equipment to Iran. The Yousefijams pleaded guilty to US sanctions evasion charges, and received lengthy sentences.
The US then extradited them to Canada, where they used a name change program in Ontario to become Aurash and Ameen Cohen.
Under their adopted identity, Aurash Cohen graduated from McGill University and became a dentist in June, while Ameen Cohen was hired as a corporate compliance officer.
Immigration and Refugee Board
But their plan backfired when immigration officials took steps to deport Amin Yousefijam, an Iranian citizen who entered Canada under the Skilled Worker Program.
The Canada Border Services Agency revealed the brothers’ names were changed in hundreds of documents submitted as exhibits to the Immigration and Refugee Board.
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A hearing to determine whether to deport Amin Yousefijam is scheduled to begin in Toronto on Feb. 25. The CBSA argues that a resident of Richmond Hill, Ont. it is a threat to Canada’s security.
Amin Yousefijam undermined efforts to contain the Iranian regime, and contributed to “escalating security threats to Canada in terms of terrorism and nuclear attacks,” the CBSA wrote in the report.
“Mr. “Yousefijam’s activities have jeopardized the Canadian government’s foreign policy objectives against Iran,” according to the CBSA report.
Arash Yousefijam is a naturalized Canadian citizen and therefore cannot be deported. He did not respond to an email seeking comment, but in an earlier reply he said he “paid his dues.”
The dental college said those applying to practice in Ontario must demonstrate that their past and current conduct gives them confidence that they will do their job “with dignity, integrity and honesty and in accordance with the law,” Byrne said.
“The registration regulation also provides that an applicant shall be deemed not to have satisfied the requirements for the issuance of a certificate of registration if the applicant makes a false or misleading statement or representation in relation to his application.”
The Ontario government said it is looking to change the terms of the name changes to ensure that those convicted of violating international sanctions and other serious crimes cannot hide from their history.
Iran is a key source of instability in the Middle East. It leads the so-called “axis of resistance” that includes Hezbollah, Yemen’s Houthis and Hamas, which carried out the Oct. 7, 2023 in Israel.
At the same time, the Iranian regime has been linked to several recent assassinations against dissidents living abroad, as well as Irwin Cotler, a former Liberal MP and critic of the Islamic Republic.
Stewart.Bell@globalnews.ca
© 2024 Global News, a division of Corus Entertainment Inc.
