Regina-area contractor found guilty of fraud

A Regina-area building contractor pleaded guilty to fraud on Monday, and police say his victims lost more than $250,000.

Joseph Myers, 43, of Estlin — 30 minutes south of Regina — was given a conditional sentence for fraud over $5,000 in Regina Provincial Court. Myers will not serve jail time but will serve his conditional sentence order for two years less a day.

In a statement, Regina police said they received a report in June 2022 that a contractor had provided an estimate and accepted a deposit but failed to complete repairs as agreed and didn’t give the deposit back.

Police also said that between June 2022 and December 2023, they received 48 similar reports involving the same contractor.

“The incidents occurred between April 2021 and June 2022 and the total reported loss to the victims was over $258,000,” the statement read.

Myers was arrested in December 2023.

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According to the crown, Myers was ordered to pay back $229,287.75 which he did on Monday to his lawyer’s trust account. The amount was then paid to court services who is tasked with redistributing the money to the victims.

As part of his conditional sentence, Myers is required to report to a supervisor on Hamilton Street, Regina within two working days and live at an approved residence. He is not to change his address without written permission.

For the first six months, Myers has a daily curfew from 11 p.m. to 5 a.m.  He must also come to the door when asked to by a supervisor, designate, the court or a police officer.

Additionally, Myers cannot possess or consume alcohol, cannabis or drugs that haven’t been prescribed by a medical doctor and is not allowed to enter or be in a place where the main purpose is the sale of cannabis or alcohol.

The conditional sentence also requires Myers to participate in assessments and complete counselling.

Myers is also required to provide a written apology to all his victims within six months.