Accused in fraud trial a no-show

With computer screens flickering and stacks of binders filled with documents spread out on tables, the scene was set for a two-week long fraud trial slated to begin Monday in a Regina courtroom.

Alas, the only thing missing was the accused, Steven Weeres. And the 53-year-old was still nowhere to be found a half-hour after the trial was due to begin.

At the request of Crown prosecutor Jerome Tholl, Court of Queen’s Bench Justice Catherine Dawson issued a warrant for Weeres’ arrest.

“The Crown is ready to proceed,” Tholl said in seeking a warrant. Some 15 witnesses were expected to testify over the course of the trial — a significantly pared down list from the 60 that were originally planned.

Weeres is not represented by a lawyer.

The Millet, Alta., man is charged with defrauding the public of an amount exceeding $5,000 and of money laundering for allegedly concealing or converting money obtained by fraud. The offences are alleged to have involved a significant amount of money and occurred between January 2003 and December 2005.

In seeking the warrant, Tholl told the court that Weeres was also expected to appear in Alberta Court of Queen’s Bench for a trial on Sept. 30 and failed to show up. That court has also issued a warrant. He was facing fraud charges in that province stemming from the sale of RVs from a business Weeres operated in Millet.

In 2007 and 2008, Weeres was known for selling investments in B.C. and later Mexico.

Last year, he was sanctioned by the New Brunswick Securities Commission, which permanently banned him from trading in securities in that province after finding several breaches of the securities laws in promoting an investment known as The Project. A securities decision found one investor was defrauded of $22,600. It also ordered Weeres to pay an administrative penalty of $200,000 as well as $22,600 to cover the losses by the victim.

He has also previously been sanctioned by securities commissions in Alberta and Saskatchewan.

Earlier this year, he told the Alberta securities commission he was working on exporting to the United States an interactive, computerbased learning program on which he has worked for 21 years.