Alleged con artist in court a sweet sight for woman
Ten people, two banks and bike store claim they were scammed
When Lisa Dwyer called police in April to say she’d been scammed by a con man, they told her it would be difficult to press criminal charges, and her best bet might be a civil suit in Small Claims Court.
Dwyer was gratified Thursday to see Wesley John Devries in court at last, and to learn he will face 14 new criminal charges of fraud and theft.
Devries’ court records include multiple fraud and theft convictions, and years in jail. Court documents show his most common method was defrauding women after romantic courtships. This was how Dwyer said she met him.
In dozens of interviews over the past two months, The Province has spoken with women claiming to have been scammed by Devries as far back as 1992, and as recently as last month.
On Monday, Vancouver police recommended 14 new charges, and all 14 were approved and sworn on Thursday.
It was a challenging case that required the co-ordination of different jurisdictions, said Det. Ivan De Silva of the Vancouver Police Department’s Criminal Intelligence Unit, who led the investigation.
Thursday’s court filings show counts of fraud and theft involving nine different women, one man, two banks and a bicycle store. The alleged crimes took place in Vancouver, North Vancouver, Squamish and Whistler.
Back in June, Dwyer started a blog to warn other women about Devries, and she said she has been in touch with at least 20 women claiming to have been victims. Several of them appear in Thursday’s court filings.
It’s been a long and eventful few months for Dwyer, she said in a coffee shop near the courthouse following Devries’ court appearance Thursday. She said she’s the type to follow things through to the end.
“This whole thing has been surreal. At first I was like, ‘Universe, why are you mad at me?’” Dwyer said. “This is why. Because I’m all-in with stuff ... that’s why the universe picked me.”
Devries made a brief appearance in Vancouver Provincial Court on Thursday, via video conference. Wearing an orange prison outfit and thick-framed eyeglasses, he said little, and appeared calm and composed.
Devries was arrested this month, after an undercover sting operation involving West Vancouver police and employees from a Vancouver bicycle store who claimed Devries stole a $6,000 bike from them. He was arrested on a warrant connected to two breaches of probation, and has been in custody since.
Days before the arrest, Dwyer said, Devries met a woman at a Squamish campground. They exchanged numbers and planned to meet. But before they could, Devries was arrested. When the woman saw news of his arrest in The Province, she contacted Dwyer to thank her, saying she “definitely would have been the next victim.”
Laura Ansley of North Vancouver is an alleged victim in one of the 14 new counts against Devries. Her birthday is the day before Devries’ next court appearance on Aug. 27.
“I’m over the moon. I never thought this would happen,” Ansley said Thursday. “It’s a great birthday present.”