'Renewed hope': Victim of alleged Prairie Boy Windows fraud speaks out after arrest made

Adam Beadle is one of the many unhappy customers who approached Prairie Boy Windows for work on his home. After putting down a $1,500 deposit, he never heard from the contractor again.

“[I] waited, no word from them after that,” he said. “So I started contacting them and I kept getting pushed back and here we are, almost two years later.”

It didn’t take long before Beadle came across an online community of many people with similar stories – who were looking to take legal action.

“I’m actually one of the very few who didn’t file a police report,” he explained. “After connecting with the Facebook group and hearing the amounts that people were out … $1,500 is a drop in the bucket.”

Many in the group were not optimistic about seeing results. However, Regina Police Service arrested the business owner, Joseph Alan Myers on Dec. 6 and charged him with one count of fraud over $5,000.

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Regina Police Service (RPS) spokesperson Les Parker explained what goes into laying these charges.

“Each case is different. We take into consideration the dollar amount lost and whether or not they had the intention to defraud, the number of victims coming forward,” he explained.

“In a case with a large number of victims coming forward and a pattern of behaviour, it helps support the fraud charge.”

Now that criminal charges have been laid, Beadle said the group is just happy to finally see some closure to the situation.

“Well I think there’s renewed hope in the group itself. For me personally, I’m glad there is going to be some accountability,” he said.

Financial crimes can be complicated and can be settled in different ways. However, with 48 separate reports filed from victims – totaling over $258,000 lost – RPS saw grounds to lay charges.

“It’s not rare, but many cases that involve contract are dealt with civilly in court. In this case with the large number of victims, police thought it was prudent to pursue a criminal charge in this case,” Parker explained.

As for those who lost money, there is now a hint of optimism in the air.

“I hope something comes of it, I hope people get something back, especially the people that have thousands and thousands in it, just to have that closure I think is really good,” Beadle said.

Myers will be appearing in provincial court on his fraud charge in the new year.