Judge orders head of ‘tyrannical regime’ at York and co-conspirator to repay more than $1 million

TORONTO — A former police officer who rose to a top executive position at York University masterminded two scams that defrauded the Toronto school of more than $1 million, including cash kickbacks and construction work on his own residences, a judge has found.

Michael Markicevic, 57, of Collingwood, Ont., ran a “tyrannical regime and ruled through fear and intimidation” as York’s head of campus services and business operations, which oversaw planning, operation and maintenance of York’s large suburban campus.

He used that power to launch scams using fake invoices and kickbacks, and even had a York contractor repave his home driveway, build a flight of stairs, a patio and a path and install a hot tub, Judge Barbara Conway of Ontario Superior Court concluded in a civil ruling released Wednesday.

Conway has now ordered Markicevic, and his director of maintenance and co-conspirator Phil Brown, to repay a total of more than a million dollars.  (more...)

Judge orders head of ‘tyrannical regime’ at York and co-conspirator to repay more than $1 million