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OTTAWA — Clifton Cunningham, a 54-year-old Ottawa resident who cleans buses for a living, was duped into a marriage of convenience by a Jamaican woman who was seeking permanent resident status in Canada.

Cunningham’s estranged wife, Karlene Williams, and her adopted daughter, Sheleka, arrived in Toronto in 2011, after the couple was married in Jamaica. Both were sponsored by Cunningham and became permanent residents on landing. But they never travelled to Ottawa — he says she took off with another man instead.

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He told the Canada Border Services Agency and it deemed Williams entered into a “non-genuine marriage.” Cunningham believes she was deported but CBSA will not confirm this, citing privacy reasons.

Despite the evidence of fraud, Ontario’s Ministry of Community and Social Services is seeking $24,000 from Cunningham in “sponsorship debt” — the amount of social assistance received by his estranged wife.