Wedding check gets Canadian mayor charged

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LONDON, Ontario, Nov. 21 (UPI) -- London, Ontario, Mayor Joe Fontana was charged Wednesday for allegedly using federal money to pay a deposit for his son's wedding reception, his attorney said.

Attorney Gord Cudmore said Fontana is charged with fraud, breach of trust by a public official and uttering forged documents, the London Free Press reported. The criminal charges were brought by the Royal Canadian Mounted Police, the newspaper said.

The charges stem from a two-month investigation into a $1,700 check issued by Public Works Canada used to pay the Marconi Club in London where Fontana's son Michael's 2005 wedding reception was held.

Fontana said he would produce personal documentation relating to the reception.

In 2005, Fontana was a member of Parliament and federal minister of labor and housing. The Liberal Party member was elected mayor in 2010.

Several members of the City Council said they intend to ask Fontana to step aside pending the outcome of the case, staying on as a council member but relinquishing his mayoral duties, the Free Press said.