Funeral director charged with defrauding 139 people

Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 04/11/2020 (1511 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

A former Winnipeg funeral director has been charged with defrauding dozens of grieving families.

Chad Robert Wheeler, who had operated the Wheeler Funeral Home, Cemetery and Crematorium in Transcona, has been under investigation since April 2018, the Winnipeg Police Service said Thursday.

The funeral home was placed in receivership in March 2018, and Wheeler’s licence was revoked that summer.

Winnipeg police said investigators allege Wheeler, 46, had sold 76 pre-arranged funeral plans from February 2006 to February 2018, but had not placed the money — $175,000 — in a trust as required by law.

Police also found 40 pre-arranged funeral insurance plans were sold from January 2007 to April 2017 without the money being remitted to the insurance companies, totalling $75,000 in losses for customers.

Additional fraudulent activity worth $50,000 was found between August 2006 and December 2017.

Police said 139 victims had reported losses totalling $300,000.

Wheeler has been charged with one overall count of fraud over $5,000 and was released from custody. He is scheduled to appear in court in January.

Winnipegger Kathryn Hooper said she is still out the $5,000 she paid Wheeler for a pre-arranged funeral.

“I’m happy he’s been charged,” Hooper said. “He put me through hell for my planning of my funeral.

“I can’t believe a person does something like that with any conscience.”

Hooper said after Wheeler did her husband’s funeral, she paid him $5,000 for a pre-arranged funeral for herself, but “he took the money and ran. He didn’t put it in trust.”

She said about six years ago she complained to both the Funeral Board of Manitoba and police after she learned the funeral home had closed.

Hooper said “(I) would love it” if she was able to get back her money. 

 

Kevin Sweryd, the president of Manitoba Funeral Services Association, said he can confirm that Wheeler has never been a member of the association which helps ensure ethical standards are met by the province’s member funeral homes.

“We have strict rules and an ethics committee,” Sweryd said. “A lot of what was happening would not have happened. Members of our association answer not only to the public but to each other.”

Sweryd said the association received several complaints at the time from people who had purchased pre-arranged funeral plans from Wheeler and they were referred to the Funeral Board.

“The most important thing you want to get, when you purchase a pre-arranged funeral plan, is a copy of the contract so you know which trust company has it,” he said.

“If not, you’re putting yourself and your estate at risk.”

— with files from Kevin Rollason 

katie.may@freepress.mb.ca  

Twitter: @thatkatiemay