(Dreamstime)

By Sheldon Spackman

2007 and 2013 Incidents

Sentencing date set for Sylvan Lake man charged in alleged 2.6M fraud case dating back years

Sep 26, 2024 | 2:29 PM

A sentencing date has been set for a Sylvan Lake man accused of defrauding over $2.6 million from investors who thought they were buying into a “revolutionary fracking product.”

Dane Michael Skinner, 59, is scheduled for sentencing in Red Deer Court of King’s Bench on Oct. 21, 2024.

His sentencing date follows the completion of a jury trial this year that ran from Feb. 20-Mar. 15, then continued May 6-17.

Skinner was scheduled for trial twice previously, in 2023 and 2021.

Although the delays in Skinner’s case have resulted in his matters being addressed far beyond his ‘Jordan date’ of Jan. 24, 2021. The Alberta Crown Prosecutions Service has previously pointed out that Skinner’s Jordan Date has been waived in this case.

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A 2016 decision from the Supreme Court of Canada – often called the ‘Jordan decision’ – stipulates that a trial must begin within 30 months of charges being laid in Court of Queen’s Bench (now King’s Bench) cases.

Skinner was arrested July 25, 2018 and was charged with counts of fraud over $5,000 and laundering proceeds of crime. He was arrested after an investigation by Blackfalds RCMP and Red Deer Financial Crimes Unit that began in 2013.

According to police, the alleged offences took place between Dec. 5, 2007 and Feb. 28, 2013 in Lacombe and are said to involve two numbered companies (1518869 Alberta Ltd. and 1367158 Alberta Ltd.), as well as N.E.X.T. Legacy Technologies Ltd.

Mounties alleged Skinner misrepresented and advertised a “revolutionary fracking product” which resulted in lucrative financial gains.

As a result, numerous victims were enticed to invest in the company, with losses to those investors reported to be over $2.6 million.

Court learned in September 2021 that Skinner lost his hearing and was undergoing chemotherapy treatments. He did not have legal representation at that time.

Related: New jury trial scheduled for Sylvan Lake man accused in $2.6M fraud case

Related: Trial delayed again for Sylvan Lake man accused in $2.6M fraud case

Related: Trial delayed for Sylvan Lake man accused in $2.6M fraud case

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