Regulators revoked dentist’s license in Ontario after Global News discovered he practiced under the name he adopted after being convicted of aiding and abetting Iran avoid sanctions.

dr. Aurash Cohen no longer has the right to practice in the province, according to Royal College of Dental Surgeons of Ontariowhich said it revoked his certification on November 20.

A college spokeswoman said she could not provide details about the cases.

But she said dentists seeking certification “should disclose their history of criminal conduct, in any jurisdiction, on the application for registration in Ontario.”

“The application form is a legal certificate – dentists are required to declare the accuracy of the content of their application when they submit it,” Lesley Byrne said in a statement.

The decision came six weeks after Global News reported that “Dr. Cohen” actually was Arash Yousefijaman Ontario resident who pleaded guilty in 2021 to running a scheme to evade sanctions against Iran.

Together with his brother Amin Yousefijamwas exporting sensitive manufacturing equipment to Iran. The Yousefijams pleaded guilty in the US to sanctions evasion charges and were sentenced to time served.

The US then returned them to Canada, where they used Ontario’s name change system to become Aurash and Ameen Cohen.

Under their adopted identities, Aurash Cohen graduated from McGill University and became a dentist in June, while Ameen Cohen is employed as a corporate compliance officer.

But their plan unraveled when immigration officials opened deportation proceedings against Amin Yousefiam, an Iranian national who entered Canada under the Skilled Worker Program.

The Canada Border Services Agency discovered the brothers’ name changes in hundreds of pages of documents entered as evidence at the Immigration and Refugee Board.

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A hearing to decide whether Amin Yousefijam should be deported is scheduled to begin in Toronto on February 25. The CBSA is discussing a resident of Richmond Hill, Ont. poses a threat to the security of Canada.

Amin Yousefijam undermined efforts to contain the Iranian regime and contributed to “an increased security threat to Canada in terms of terrorism and nuclear attack,” the CBSA wrote in the report.

“MR. Yousefijam’s activities have directly compromised the Canadian government’s efforts to pursue its foreign policy objectives vis-à-vis Iran,” the CBSA report said.

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Arash Yousefijam is a naturalized Canadian citizen and therefore cannot be deported. He did not respond to an email seeking comment, but said in an earlier response that he had “paid his dues.”

The Faculty of Dentistry said those applying to practice in Ontario must demonstrate that their past and present conduct gives confidence that they will carry out their work “decently, fairly and honestly and in accordance with the law,” Byrne said.

“The Registration Ordinance also provides that an applicant shall be deemed ineligible for a certificate of registration to be issued if the applicant has made a false or misleading statement or representation in connection with his application.”

The Says the Ontario government it was considering reforming its name change policy to ensure that those convicted of violating international sanctions and other serious offenses could not hide from their past.

Iran is a key source of instability in the Middle East. He leads the so-called “axis of resistance” that includes Hezbollah, Yemen’s Houthis and Hamas, which launched an attack on Israel on October 7, 2023.

At the same time, the Iranian regime has been linked to several recent assassination plots against dissidents living abroad, as well as Irwin Cotler, a former Liberal MP and outspoken critic of the Islamic Republic.

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