An Edmonton man has been charged with fraud and sexual assault following two separate investigations in Winnipeg. According to police, three adults in their 80s were defrauded of more than $37,000 following a series of grandparent scams between Aug. 17 and 22. In each instance, it’s alleged a man called the seniors and pretended to be their grandson and required bail money. The man then attended each residence and collected money, along with gold and silver coins, from the seniors. The victim in one incident checked with family members and learned they had been scammed and called police. Police responded to the area on Aug. 22 and found a man in a vehicle that matched a provided description. He was taken into custody and evidence linked to all three scam victims was found inside the vehicle. During the initial fraud investigation, police said they also learned the suspect travelled from Edmonton to Winnipeg with a teenage girl and they were staying at a short-term rental. The girl alleged she was sexually assaulted while staying with the suspect and was unable to return to Edmonton on her own. The suspect was arrested again at the Winnipeg Remand Centre on Aug. 23. A 29-year-old man has been charged with multiple offences, including sexual assault, sexual interference, sexual assault with a weapon, two counts of fraud under $5,000, and one count of fraud over $5,000. He was detained in custody and none of the charges have been proven in court. The teenager girl was safely returned to Edmonton, Winnipeg police said.
