ManitobaThe courier in a sophisticated fraud operation that swindled eight older adults out of more than $30,000 has been sentenced to three years in prison in a grandparent scam a judge says left the victims feeling frightened and likely incapable of recouping their losses.Shane Shelby committed ‘what is essentially elder abuse’: judge Shane Strebly has been sentenced to three years in prison for his involvement in a sophisticated scam that swindled eight older adults out of more than $30,000. (Gajus/Shutterstock)The courier in a sophisticated fraud operation that swindled eight older adults out of more than $30,000 has been sentenced to three years in prison in a grandparent scam a judge says left the victims feeling frightened and likely incapable of recouping their losses.”It is a truly despicable crime against the population who should be treated with respect, dignity and care … they have been left poorer financially and psychologically,” provincial court Judge Cynthia A. Devine said in a sentencing decision.Shane Strebly pleaded guilty to six counts of fraud in the scam of eight adults, aged 73 to 89, many of them living in seniors residences or assisted-living facilities. Devine said were targeted because of their vulnerability, and emotionally manipulated to give thousands of dollars under the false pretence of helping a loved one. “Most of them did not recoup their financial losses, and likely never will, given their ages and fixed incomes,” Devine said in the decision. “They have been deeply embarrassed, angry, frightened and have been left feeling more insecure, less competent and less independent.” Provincial court Judge Cynthia A. Devine said Strebly’s sentence needed to be severe enough to deter other people from participating in grandparent scams. (Trevor Brine/CBC)Strebly got involved in the scam to buy crack cocaine, according to the decision handed down on Sept. 18. His first victim was a woman, 73, who received a phone call on Jan. 18, 2023, from a man impersonating her grandson. He told her he had been in a car accident and had been sent to jail after police found drugs on his car. Strebly picked up $8,000 the victim had been told was needed to get her grandson out of custody. Two days later she was asked for $9,000 for lawyer fees, but the victim contacted her family. The woman and her family set up a sting and contacted the police, who apprehended Strebly.Officers released Strebly with a warning after he told them he was at the address to pick up the second instalment while doing a favour for a friend, according to the sentencing decision.A week later Strebly picked up $4,800 from a man, 85, after a caller impersonated his great nephew and asked for the money because he had been arrested for impaired driving.The court decision says a Winnipeg police constable wrote to Strebly on Jan. 30, 2023, warning him that if he didn’t stop he would be arrested and charged with fraud. But Strebly continued.The court decision included six other cases from November 2023 and December 2024 in which Strebly took e-transfers or picked up money from victims who had been called by fraudsters impersonating a relative asking from $400 to $5,000 needed for hospital expenses, pay bills and help friends. ‘Essentially elder abuse’: judgeDevine said victims were left feeling foolish, their competence fragile. One of the older adults who relayed an impact statement in the case said the embarrassment from the scam was so intense that he has become a recluse who is afraid Strebly might show up at his door again. Another victim said in an impact statement that he felt he had been played a fool and now doesn’t answer his phone except when his children’s names show up on the call display, according to the court decision. “The fact that people in the last portion of their lives are isolating because of this crime is a further frightening outcome,” Devine said. The defence had been seeking a jail sentence of 18 months, while the Crown had asked for two years and probation, a term Devine said was “too low to be fit and appropriate.”Offences such as Strebly’s are becoming increasingly common in Manitoba, and there is potential from them to be even harder to stop as artificial intelligence proliferates, the judge said, arguing the sentence should be severe enough to deter “what is essentially elder abuse.” The judge said the sentence must also acknowledge the significant damage endured by the eight victims and Strebly’s high degree of moral culpability.The man was part of what Devine said was a sophisticated fraud operation. The judge also said the length over which he defrauded victims, the number of them and the fact that he didn’t stop after being warned, not once but twice by police, also elevates his culpability.Over the ten months he has spent under detention the judge said he has done “very little” to address his criminal attitudes. While he pleaded guilty, expressed remorse in court and had family support the judge said “nothing in his past or [present] circumstances reduce his moral culpability in this case.” The judge sentenced Strebly to three years in prison minus the time he has already been in custody.After he is released he will be on unsupervised probation with protective conditions for three years. The judge also set Strebly a stand-alone restitution order in the amount of $31,700.ABOUT THE AUTHORSantiago Arias Orozco is a journalist with CBC Manitoba currently based in Winnipeg. He previously worked for CBC Toronto and the Toronto Star. You can reach him at santiago.arias.orozco@cbc.ca.
Courier in ‘despicable’ grandparent scam sentenced to 3-year jail term
