CALGARY – In a case highlighting the vulnerability of the elderly, a Calgary judge sentenced Jason Dwight Dear to 40 months in prison for a series of frauds targeting senior citizens. “There needs to be a strong message if you commit a crime of this kind you will go to jail for a significant amount of time,” stated Justice Susan Pepper, who accepted a joint submission from the Crown and the defense.
Justice Pepper emphasized the emotional toll these crimes take on victims, particularly the elderly, who deserve to enjoy their later years free from stress and fear. “I agree with the Crown that this is a reprehensible crime, it is a predatory crime, it is all too prevalent,” she remarked.
Dear, 40, pleaded guilty to nine charges of fraud involving eight victims, with additional uncounted victims suffering from dementia, complicating prosecution efforts. Crown prosecutor Greg Whiteside outlined a calculated scheme that unfolded between February 15, 2022, and April 26, 2022, targeting seniors aged 74 to 94.
The scam involved phone calls where victims were impersonated by someone posing as a police officer or other authority figure, claiming that a relative, often a grandson, had been arrested. They were instructed to withdraw large sums of money to bail the supposed relative out, with promises that a courier would collect the cash.
Dear would then visit the victims’ homes to pick up the money, often delivered in envelopes. “These grandparent frauds … are some of the most reprehensible, predatory crimes that come before the court,” Whiteside stated.
One victim shared her feelings of embarrassment and shame for being deceived. She revealed that she had lost $29,000 after being told her son-in-law had been arrested. “I asked my son-in-law how he made out in court, and he said, ‘what are you talking about, Mom?’” she recounted, describing the emotional and financial devastation she experienced.
Defense counsel Dean Zuk argued that Dear had engaged in the scheme to support his family. In addition to prison time, Dear was ordered to pay over $100,000 in restitution to his victims.