BRONCOS FRAUDSTER
Andrij Olesiuk, who was found guilty of fraud after setting up a Gofundme to profit after the Humboldt Broncos bus crash in April 2018, walks into the Provincial Courthouse in Saskatoon on Tuesday where he was sentenced to 14 months in jail.
A Saskatchewan man found guilty of creating a fraudulent Gofundme campaign masquerading as a fundraiser for the Humboldt Broncos after the 2018 bus crash tragedy was sentenced on Tuesday to 14 months in jail — not only for that fraud, but also for an unrelated scheme that took members of a family for $65,000.
Andrij Olesiuk, 33, was convicted in January of fraud under $5,000 and possession of property obtained by crime after using the #Prayforhumboldt online fundraiser to pocket close to $3,700.
He also had previously pleaded guilty to defrauding a husband and wife in British Columbia of $40,000 and the wife’s sister, a retiree, of $25,000 through an investment scam in which he posed as a money manager running a non-existent company.
The sentence was the result of a joint submission from the Crown and defence, which was accepted by provincial court Judge Brent Klause in Saskatoon.
Olesiuk will face three months in jail for the Gofundme fraud and another 11 months for the investment scam, to be served consecutively.
He also will face a year of probation, and was ordered to complete 40 hours of community service and pay restitution.
Olesiuk has also been banned from having authority over other people’s money and from fundraising online for charitable or non-profit purposes for five years. Crown prosecutor Darren Howarth said Olesiuk took advantage of a national tragedy and his conduct was “highly offensive.”
He said the Gofundme fraud may not have been uncovered without the first investigation into the investment fraud. “A short, sharp sentence is appropriate,” he said.
Olesiuk’s lawyer, John Rodzdilsky, said Olesiuk wanted to express his remorse to the Humboldt Broncos organization and the players, and that he recognized the harm to the community. He said Olesiuk wanted to convey similar remorse to the investment fraud victims.
“It is indeed sad Mr. Olesiuk will wear this for the rest of his life,” he said.
It is indeed sad Mr. Olesiuk will wear this for the rest of his life ... (He is) the author of his own misfortune.
But he added that Olesiuk is the “author of his own misfortune.”
Klause said the Gofundme fraud could be classified as a “breach of trust” case since people contributed, thinking they were giving to a worthwhile cause, not to his bank account.
He told Olesiuk that had he not pleaded guilty to the investment fraud, that trial may have been heard at the Court of Queen’s Bench and he may have faced a penitentiary term rather than jail.
“I hope you do your time there and come out a better person,” Klause said.