During trial the Crown Prosecutor withdrew one charge of fraud, and Justice John S. Little acquitted both Rebekah Donszelmann and Steven Weeres on the other charge of fraud.
The trial took place January 19 to 23, 2015 in Wetaskiwin, Alberta. Rebekah Donszelmann, 33, and Steven Weeres, 55, were cleared after the Crown withdrew one charge of fraud and Alberta Court of Queen’s Bench Justice John Little ruled the evidence (on the other count of fraud), which was comprised of a lone witness and no documents, could not prove the couple perpetrated a fraud.
The trial, which originally involved two complainants, was hindered by lack of evidence. Joshua Lemmens testified that he transferred a $45,000 personal loan into a bank account on Steve Weeres’ direction, thinking it would buy him an RV and a stake in Leisure RV, the business represented by Rebekah Donszelmann and Steve Weeres. Joshua Lemmens claimed the motorhome never materialized and requests to get his money back were brushed aside, though he could not produce any physical evidence of this money transfer at the trial.
In his closing argument, Crown Prosecutor, Ryan Pollard argued, “The entire relationship is just one long fraud. He really wanted to believe good would come out of what happened.”
Steve Weeres’ lawyer, Shawn King, stated that there was no proof his client had ever lied. Nor was there proof of what happened to the $45,000 or even evidence that Steven Weeres or Rebekah Donszelmann were in charge of the business.
“Fraud is not the inevitable conclusion,” Justice John Little said. Crown Prosecutor Pollard withdrew the second count of fraud following the brief testimony of Shankar Mattay, the second complainant. The Crown withdrew their third witness prior to trial, an AMVIC Officer from the Alberta Motor Vehicle Industry Council.
“These charges have turned our lives completely upside down.” said Rebekah Donszelmann. “I spent almost two months incarcerated in remand, awaiting bail, and Mr. Weeres was denied bail and spent 14 months incarcerated in remand awaiting this trial. That is precious time we will never get back.”
"CTV News aired a national news story, prior to our arrest, that portrayed a very negative and inaccurate perception of Mr. Weeres and myself,” said Rebekah Donszelmann. "This caused some of the people in our lives, and even some strangers, to get very angry. Several fabricated complaints and personal attacks about us were posted online, anonymously. Neither Mr. Weeres or myself blame these people, we can understand why they would get caught up in what was reported by the media and the authorities. It created a domino affect and we have lost businesses, money, and good friends because of these allegations. Many good people in our lives have suffered because of these charges. We are left to pick up the pieces of what remains of our lives and the situation we are left in may be irreparable.”
“We were transported on a commercial airline with shackles around our ankles and chains connected to handcuffs around our wrists. It is a feeling of hopelessness that I hope no one who is innocent would have to go through as we did.”
Rebekah Donszelmann concluded, “We have waited a long time for this trial, knowing we were not guilty of these allegations of fraud, nor of the ‘scam artist’ labels we had been given. We are each happy to be moving on with our lives.”
The acquittal of Steven Weeres and Rebekah Donszelmann was unrelated to a case involving Rebekah Donszelmann’s father, the owner of Leisure RV.
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| Rebekah Donszelmann Fraud Acquittal |
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