Man pleads guilty to defrauding friends of $413,000

A Steinbach man has pleaded guilty to defrauding his friends of almost $413,000 over the span of three-and-a-half years.

Edwin Funk, 80, began defrauding Elizabeth and Earl Wiens by telling them there was a trust created by the Workers Compensation Board for injuries he had sustained as a truck driver. He claimed the trust had $2.5 million in it and that he was suing WCB to get the money but needed to pay his lawyer. He told the Wiens he would pay them back with interest.

The Wiens gave Funk money at multiple times over the course of the three-and-a-half years. Having depleted their retirement fund the Wiens took out a high interest loan of $40,000 and a line of credit for $29,000 plus they borrowed $8,500 from friends to give to Funk.

In the end, the Wiens were financially crippled by the fraud, forcing them to sell their condo to pay back their friends and the loans they took out.

“I never guessed there was such people that could strip the next person of everything they have. That ability escapes me completely…This sham of Ed’s has broken us into so many pieces it has financially ruined us. It has left us broke and shameful in getting caught in such a pile of lies. All of our hard-earned retirement money is gone and Ed did this knowing he would never pay us back,” said Elizabeth during her victim impact statement to the court.

In June 2022, the Wiens contacted RCMP to report the fraud.

Crown attorney Jennifer Neufeld said this was a “detailed fraud” where Funk fabricated details such as bank tellers’ names, lawyers, and other details that made his story sound convincing.

Judge Robert M. Heinrichs called Funk a “con man and a bully” who had “a career of fraud that started 60 years ago” citing his criminal record.

“This is a serious and devastating crime,” said Heinrichs.

Funk claims it was a gambling problem that led him to defraud his friends.

“I really regret the fact of what I’ve gotten into. I am remorseful,” he said.

The Crown and Funk’s defence lawyer made a joint recommendation, which the judge accepted, that Funk would serve a conditional sentence in his home for two years followed by three years of unsupervised probation.

He is allowed to go to his church in Winnipeg on Sundays and shopping and personal errands on Saturdays and to medical appointments.

He is also required to pay the Wiens $150 per month during the time of his probation after which he will be required to pay restitution for the outstanding amount of $407,546. Funk is on old age pension and CPP which amounts to about $1,600 a month coupled with his wife’s old age pension of $1,400 a month. His expenses are $2,560 a month.