Former funeral director to face fraud charge in Winnipeg court

A former Winnipeg funeral director is facing fraud charges and a January court date after an investigation that began in 2018, police said.

Financial Crimes Unit detectives began investigating fraud allegations at the Wheeler Funeral Home in April of that year, according to police.

Police said the investigation uncovered 139 victims and a total of $300,000 in losses — stemming in large part from pre-paid funeral costs.

Chad Robert Wheeler, 46, had his funeral licence revoked after a hearing in late 2018 that showed he failed to put money from pre-paid funeral plans into a required trust account, among other allegedly fraudulent activities.

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Wheeler currently faces one overall count of fraud over $5,000, police said, and has been released with a Jan. 21, 2021 court date.

1:23 Unknown caller: Manitoba RCMP suggest reporting all attempted phone frauds