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CBC
3 days ago
- CBC
Men charged in Bowness fraud accuse police of corruption in $3.5-million lawsuit
Social Sharing Two men facing fraud charges connected to allegations they embezzled more than $60,000 from a local community association claim the family leading that organization, including two Calgary police officers who are married to each other, targeted them after they tried to expose corruption. The allegations are detailed in a $3.5-million lawsuit filed at the Calgary Courts Centre. This week, police announced fraud charges against Nathan Mizera, 41, and Joshua Bredo, 40. The men have not yet entered pleas to the charges. Bredo previously served a nine-year prison sentence for manslaughter after he admitted to attacking a 20-year-old with a hammer in 2011. Aliases used He also has a history of using aliases, including Joshua Baba, and has been accused in a number of financial controversies in both Calgary and Prince George, B.C., over the last 17 years. Four months before they were charged, Bredo and Mizera, who are in a common-law relationship, filed the lawsuit against the police and several members of the Graham family, alleging they were illegally terminated from their jobs working for the Bowness Ratepayers Scout and Guide Hall Association. Harold Graham was the president of the association for 40 years until his death last year. The lawsuit alleges two police officers — Det. Sheldon Graham and his wife, Staff Sgt. Kathy Graham — used their positions to unlawfully access and share information gained via police databases about Bredo's manslaughter conviction to "orchestrate and implement" the firing of Mizera and Bredo. The officers are the son and daughter-in-law of Harold and Elaine Graham. "The decision to intervene in a private employment matter while simultaneously overseeing or influencing a parallel criminal investigation was a clear abuse of authority, devoid of lawful justification," reads the statement of claim. "The plaintiffs' termination, executed under the shadow of an ongoing investigation, was designed to create an appearance of wrongdoing, inflict reputational damage and improperly interfere with their ability to defend themselves." Investigation 'independent of the Grahams' When asked if the two officers were involved in the investigation into Bredo and Mizera, the Calgary Police Service said it "conducted this investigation independent of the Grahams." "We cannot comment further on litigation that is active," said the service in its brief statement. "The Calgary Police Service will file a statement of defence in due course." CBC News has also attempted to contact several members of the Graham family but did not receive any responses. Statements of defence have not yet been filed and none of the allegations in the claim have been tested in court. $66K in 'missing funds' On Wednesday, Calgary police announced the fraud charges against Bredo and Mizera. According to police, the pair became involved with the association and its hall in 2022. Police say the men rebranded the hall as BowCommons and held events under the name Discover Bowness, using it as a place to gather and hold events within the community. Bredo and Mizera began managing the daily operations and one appointed himself general manager "without election or consent from the board," according to police. In 2024, police say board members contacted police after they "became concerned with the maintenance and deterioration of the hall and the transparency of financial documents, which led to the discovery of a significant amount of missing funds." Investigators said they believed that more than $66,000 was embezzled between 2022 and 2024. Police allege the men hosted events using organization funds without paying attributed fees, falsified documents to obtain financial control and created false receipts for services never rendered, "which were then sent to fabricated email addresses and deposited into their personal bank accounts." The pair are due in court on Aug. 6. The lawsuit names two sets of defendants — those connected to the Bowness Scout and Guide Hall Association and the Calgary Police Service defendants. A 'whistleblowing memorandum' Bredo and Mizera, who were employed by the association between October 2022 and April 2024, allege in their lawsuit that they were terminated one month after attempting to reveal "financial mismanagement" within the association. The pair say they issued a "whistleblowing memorandum" in March 2024, recommending an independent forensic audit of the association's financial records and the restructuring of its governance framework. Instead of calling a board meeting, the plaintiffs allege that the stepdaughter of the president "attempted to bribe" them into silence. They were fired a month later. Controversies connected to Bredo, aka Joshua Baba, date back more than a decade. In 2008, the father of a Canadian soldier killed a year earlier by a bomb while serving in Afghanistan was attempting to set up a foundation in his son's name. Soldier fundraising a bust At the time, Matthew McCully's father Ron McCully told CBC News that Joshua Baba was responsible for the collapse of his foundation. Back then, Baba billed himself as a public relations consultant and signed up to help the grieving father start the Matthew McCully Foundation in Prince George, which would have involved a monument and a national Support Our Troops speaking tour. Baba committed to contributing the first $10,000, money McCully said he never followed through on. McCully also said Baba raised funds but the foundation never saw any of that money. In the months after McCully's planned foundation failed, Baba turned up in Calgary, promising to, again, put up $10,000 of his own money for a group called Stand Up Calgary, a crime-fighting campaign. Baba told CBC News that his aim was to get other businesses to chip in to help fund the group he'd launched. Stand Up Calgary went nowhere after the McCully story came to light. When asked for comment at the time, Baba refused to answer questions from CBC News, saying he was trying to resolve things before commenting. Political involvement Bredo/Baba also has political connections. At one point, he was the director of communications for the Alberta Wild Rose Alliance Party, leaving the group in 2008. At the time then-party leader Paul Hinman confirmed to CBC News that he'd taken off unexpectedly, leaving behind no contact information, and a $2,000 phone bill. Bredo also once worked for Conservative MP Dick Harris in Prince George, B.C. When he left that position, he accused Harris of violating the Elections Act and helped launch an RCMP investigation. The investigation revealed no improper behaviour. In 2009, Bredo worked as executive assistant for Calgary mayoral candidate George Dadamo. After the Calgary Herald revealed Bredo's controversial past in both Calgary and Prince George, Dadamo pulled his name from the running. The killing Two years later, Bredo was working as a manager in Victoria at a 7-Eleven. In 2011, he hired Daniel Levesque, an aspiring musician who'd moved to Vancouver Island in hopes of furthering his music career. Details of the killing come from a B.C. judge's sentencing decision issued in 2017. According to that decision, Bredo told Levesque a series of lies about his wealth and connections. The victim "came to trust him absolutely." Over their seven-month relationship, Bredo developed an "infatuation" with Levesque but realized the 20-year-old did not feel the same. As Bredo's lies unravelled "his world was coming undone," wrote the judge who noted Bredo had lost his girlfriend and was about to lose his job and apartment. On Aug. 3, 2011, Levesque was at Bredo's apartment but came to realize he'd been repeatedly lied to. Levesque told Bredo the friendship was over and tried to leave the apartment. Victim begged to be let go In the sentencing decision, it said that Bredo blocked him, held him and grabbed a hammer, hitting Levesque over the head three times. Levesque, who was bleeding from his head, tried to leave and begged to be let go, but Bredo continued to block the door. When Levesque eventually lost consciousness, Bredo stabbed himself with a kitchen knife, placed the knife in his victim's hand and called 911. He told police Levesque was the aggressor and that he'd simply defended himself. His lies were eventually uncovered and he was charged with murder. Bredo pleaded guilty to manslaughter and in 2017 was handed a nine-year sentence. With credit for the time he'd already served, Bredo had two years left on his sentence to be followed by three years' probation.
CBC
3 days ago
- CBC
3rd person charged in connection with alleged fraud at Calgary non-profit
A 61-year-old Calgary woman has been charged in connection with an alleged fraud tied to a local community organization. On Monday, Calgary police said they had charged Shawna Easthope with one count of fraud over $5,000 in relation to an ongoing investigation tied to the Bowness Ratepayers Scouts and Lions Hall. Last week, Calgary police announced fraud charges against Nathan Mizera, 41, and Joshua Bredo, 40, after more than $66,000 was allegedly embezzled from the association. Police said that in 2022, the pair became involved with the association and its hall, rebranding it as BowCommons and holding events under the name Discover Bowness. The two men then assumed the positions of managing the daily operations, police said, and one appointed himself general manager "without election or consent from the board." Police said board members contacted police in 2024 after they "became concerned with the maintenance and deterioration of the hall and the transparency of financial documents, which led to the discovery of a significant amount of missing funds." Police allege more than $66,000 was embezzled between 2022 and 2024. Mizera and Bredo have filed a $3.5-million lawsuit against the police and the association, alleging corruption. Now, police said that after further investigation, Easthope was also charged. "It is believed the chairperson of Discover Bowness, the business name associated with events hosted at the Bowness Ratepayers Scouts and Lions Hall, later rebranded as BowCommons, directly benefited from and was complicit in fraudulent activity without reporting it to police," police said in a release.
CTV News
3 days ago
- CTV News
Planned city council candidate named as suspect in Bowness non-profit embezzlement case
A planned candidate for Calgary city council faces a charge of fraud, accused of embezzling more than $66,000 from a Bowness non-profit. A planned candidate for Calgary city council faces a charge of fraud, accused of embezzling more than $66,000 from a Bowness non-profit. Calgary police announced the arrest of Shawna Easthope on Monday afternoon. The 61-year-old woman joins Nathan Michael Mizera, 41, and Joshua Tyler Bredo, 40, all now facing charges of fraud over $5,000. 'After further investigation, it is believed the chairperson of Discover Bowness, the business name associated with events hosted at the Bowness Ratepayers Scouts and Lions Hall, later rebranded as BowCommons, directly benefitted from and was complicit in fraudulent activity without reporting it to police,' a statement read. According to police, Bowness Ratepayers Scout and Guide Hall Association directors were approached by two men in 2022 about rebranding and handing off day-to-day operations. The hall became BowCommon, with events hosted under Discover Bowness. Police say they were contacted in April 2024, after 'a significant amount of missing funds' was discovered. Police say investigation placed the missing amount at more than $66,000. It's believed this was done 'by hosting events using organization funds without paying attributed fees, falsifying documents to obtain financial control and creating false receipts for services never rendered, which were then sent to fabricated email addresses and deposited into their personal bank accounts.' Following their own charges, Mizera and Bredo issued a joint statement in which they denied any wrongdoing and accused a pair of police officers of targeting them and of corruption. 'The allegations against us are entirely false and have no credible evidentiary foundation,' the statement read. Regarding Easthope's charge, Mizera and Bredo issued another joint statement: 'Calgarians should be paying very close attention to what's happening here. This is what happens when a police badge is used as both a sword and a shield — not to serve justice, but to silence those who seek it," the statement read. Easthope is listed as a planned candidate for city councillor in Ward 1 in the next municipal election. Mizera is listed as a planned candidate for public school board trustee in wards 1 and 2 in the next municipal election. Bredo was sentenced in June 2017 for the August 2011 manslaughter of a Revelstoke man in Victoria, following a guilty plea. Taking time served into consideration, Bredo was released in November 2018. All three are scheduled to appear in court in Calgary on Aug. 6.
CTV News
6 days ago
- CTV News
'We should have seen it': Bowness community hall warns others after falling victim to fraud
The president of a Bowness non-profit is warning others to be vigilant about screening volunteers after allegedly being defrauded of more than $66,000. The president of a local community association is warning other non-profits in Calgary to be vigilant about screening volunteers after allegedly being scammed out of thousands of dollars. Two men, one with a violent criminal past, are facing fraud charges in connection with the case, accused of embezzling more than $66,000 from the Bowness Ratepayers Scout and Guide Hall Association. On Tuesday, Calgary police arrested Nathan Michael Mizera, 41, and Joshua Tyler Bredo, 40, and charged both with fraud over $5,000. 'All of this money—it's community that is suffering because this is a hall of the community. This isn't a private venture; this is owned by the community,' said Gord Barge, president of the Bowness Ratepayers Scout and Guide Hall Association. Barge said the association became involved with the two men in 2022 when the pair approached the group about rebranding and handling day-to-day operations at the hall. Two Calgary men face fraud charges, accused of embezzling more than $66,000 from a Bowness non-profit. Two Calgary men face fraud charges, accused of embezzling more than $66,000 from a Bowness non-profit. 'It was all volunteer and everyone was tired and here's these two under-40-year-old or 40-year-old guys, and they say, 'We'd love to get in there and make that place shine again,'' said Barge. 'We thought, 'Well, why not?'' The president of a Bowness non-profit is warning others to be vigilant about screening volunteers after allegedly being defrauded of more than $66,000. The president of a Bowness non-profit is warning others to be vigilant about screening volunteers after allegedly being defrauded of more than $66,000. During that time, the hall became BowCommon and had events hosted under Discover Bowness. Barge said the men were never in a paid position and said concerns began to be raised about the deteriorating state of the hall. He said the association approached police in April 2024 when one of the directors' daughters noted some red flags around funding. 'She looked into it, and she said, 'Oh there is money missing. There is money missing here.'' Barge said the association was also shocked to learn about the one man's past conviction of manslaughter. He said Bredo also went by the last name Mizera. He said the association never requested a criminal record check for the men. 'Once things came out that he was Josh Bredo, it was like, 'Holy crap,'' he said. Bredo was sentenced in June 2017 for the August 2011 manslaughter of a Revelstoke man in Victoria, following a guilty plea. Taking time served into consideration, Bredo was released in November 2018. Barge said the directors had to take out a second mortgage on the hall and are considering other legal actions to try and recuperate the funds. 'In hindsight, we feel pretty foolish,' he said. 'How did I not see this? Well, we didn't see it and we should have.' Barge said he's 'ecstatic' with the charges laid and hopes the association's experience will act as a warning to other community groups to be more skeptical, thoroughly screen volunteers and do the proper background checks. 'I come from a generation where I trust it. If you shook my hand and said, 'OK, let's do this,' we're going to do that. That's how it worked. So, just get everything in writing,' he said. 'Don't give these people signing authorities if they were to get involved into your organization until they've proven themselves.' An expert in personal finance, Barry Choi, said non-profits are often easy targets for financial scams. 'There's just not as much training; a lot of people are volunteering (and) they don't know all the steps, especially when it comes to deposits or down payments for various events,' he said. He recommends organizations set strict rules around finances. 'Have it in writing so regardless of who comes on board, (they) can follow those procedures,' he said. 'You need to have those steps in place to double-verify, have those contracts so you can protect yourself legally and make sure your staff know appropriate steps to take when dealing with money of any amount.' Mizera and Bredo deny wrongdoing Mizera and Bredo did not respond to CTV's request for an interview but issued a joint statement Wednesday, denying any wrongdoing. In it, they accuse a pair of police officers of targeting them and of corruption. 'The allegations against us are entirely false and have no credible evidentiary foundation,' the statement read. Insp. Keith Hurley, commander for District 2, said he's confident with the results of the investigation. 'An investigation like this isn't just a singular source of information or a single person involved in it; we've spent quite a bit of time on this,' he said. Calgary police believe the embezzlement was done by 'hosting events using organization funds without paying attributed fees, falsifying documents to obtain financial control and creating false receipts for services never rendered, which were then sent to fabricated email addresses and deposited into their personal bank accounts.' According to Mizera's LinkedIn page, he's intending to run for Calgary Board of Education trustee. The pair are scheduled to appear in court on Aug. 6. With files by Damien Wood
CTV News
26-06-2025
- CTV News
Calgary pair accused of bilking Bowness non-profit of more than $66,000
Two Calgary men face fraud charges, accused of embezzling more than $66,000 from a Bowness non-profit. Two Calgary men face fraud charges, accused of embezzling more than $66,000 from a Bowness non-profit. One has a history that includes manslaughter in B.C. According to police, Bowness Ratepayers Scout and Guide Hall Association directors were approached by two men in 2022 about rebranding and handing off day-to-day operations. The hall became BowCommon, with events hosted under Discover Bowness. Police say they were contacted in April 2024, after 'a significant amount of missing funds' was discovered. Police say investigation placed the missing amount at more than $66,000. It's believed this was done 'by hosting events using organization funds without paying attributed fees, falsifying documents to obtain financial control and creating false receipts for services never rendered, which were then sent to fabricated email addresses and deposited into their personal bank accounts.' 'It's over $66,000 of embezzlement, (and) in a small community association that's struggling to keep a community hall going, supporting the community, this could be a really big fraud and it could have a huge financial impact—a potentially devastating impact,' said Insp. Keith Hurley, commander for District 2. Tuesday, police arrested a pair of suspects: Nathan Michael Mizera, 41; and Joshua Tyler Bredo, 40. Two Calgary men face fraud charges, accused of embezzling more than $66,000 from a Bowness non-profit. Two Calgary men face fraud charges, accused of embezzling more than $66,000 from a Bowness non-profit. Both are charged with fraud over $5,000 and both are scheduled to appear in court on Aug. 6. Hurley said given the victimization of a community group, police felt there was 'a strong public interest in knowing the charges that have been laid.' There is no expectation of additional suspects identified, additional charges laid or additional missing monies discovered. On Wednesday, shortly after police issued their statement, Mizera and Bredo issued a joint statement of their own. They denied any wrongdoing and accused a pair of police officers of targeting them and of corruption. 'The allegations against us are entirely false and have no credible evidentiary foundation,' the statement read. Hurley said an investigation like this 'isn't just (built on) a singular source of information.' 'People who are involved with this spent quite a bit of time on it and we're very confident in the charges we've laid,' he said. Gord Barge, president of the Bowness Ratepayers Scout and Guide Hall Association, told CTV News Calgary on Wednesday he is 'happy to see charges are finally being laid.' 'The Executive of the hall has been dealing very closely with Calgary Police Service since Bredo and Mizera were removed from the hall by CPS at the end of April 2024,' he said. 'It was hard to ignore social media posts from them but we were told by the detectives that it was in our best interest to not engage with them in any way until we are in court.' According to Mizera's LinkedIn page, he's intending to run for Calgary Board of Education trustee. CTV News Calgary has learned Bredo was sentenced in June 2017 for the August 2011 manslaughter of a Revelstoke man in Victoria, following a guilty plea. Taking time served into consideration, Bredo was released in November 2018.
