Convicted businessman accused of new $17,500 scam while out on bail

An Ontario woman says she paid $17,500 to a man she believed could help reduce the cost of an expensive HVAC contract, only to later discover he was Raymond Kalonga, a convicted businessman out on bail pending appeal. According to CBC News, Marcy Barbaro first encountered Kalonga through an online support group for customers of a controversial HVAC company. Using the name Raymond Stephens, he allegedly offered to negotiate a lower buyout and promised guidance on how such contracts worked. Barbaro says she trusted him after months of messages and paid him through two companies in 2025. Barbaro later learned that the man she had been dealing with was Kalonga, who had previously been sentenced in Ontario to more than 500 days in jail and a large fine over consumer protection violations tied to a former sales business. She now says the promised help never materialized, the lender was not paid, and she remains in debt. CBC reports that Kalonga has agreed to repay the $17,500 plus interest after being contacted for comment.