Convicted fraudster David Matthew Adrian is slated to be released from prison January 6 and will serve the remainder of his five-year sentence under statutory release.
Adrian defrauded an elderly Warman couple, Tina and Bernard (Ben) Bueckert, of $135,000 over a period of several months in 2015 and 2016. He was arrested by Warman RCMP and charged in the fall of 2016, and after numerous trial delays, he was finally convicted in a Saskatoon courtroom January 31, 2019.
Adrian was sentenced to five years in prison and ordered to pay restitution to the couple in the amount of $112,800. The amount of restitution does not take into account more than $18,000 that Adrian obtained from the Bueckerts by coercive methods other than direct fraud.
Adrian was scheduled to be released January 9, 2022, under legislation that applies to most offenders who have served two-thirds of their sentence. (Adrian’s sentence was effectively reduced to four years and five months after his time served in remand was taken into account. Because January 9 falls on a Sunday, the legislation states he must be released on the preceding Thursday, January 6.)
A story published in the Saskatoon Star-Phoenix on December 22, 2021, stated that Adrian had already been released.
One of the conditions the Parole Board of Canada imposed on the 67-year-old Adrian on November 24, 2021, is that he is not permitted to contact the Bueckerts.
“We got a letter from the Parole Board the day the Star-Phoenix story came out,” said Tina Bueckert in an interview on Monday, January 3. “We were surprised. My son-in-law phoned the Parole Board that day and they told him David Adrian was still in jail at that time, and that he was still scheduled for release January 6.”
But, she said, the Star-Phoenix article was helpful in that it gave people “a warning” that he is soon to be released and could potentially seek out new victims.
“People need to be warned he’s back on the street,” she said. “So far, he has not tried to contact us. He’s not supposed to, but he never follows the rules.”
She added that she and her husband have never received any restitution money from Adrian.
“He has never paid one penny,” said Bueckert. “The Star-Phoenix story quoted the Parole Board document as saying that David ‘must continue’ paying restitution as one of his conditions of his release.
“But before you can ‘continue’ doing something you have to start doing something.
“People might get the impression he has been paying us back, but that is definitely not the case. I just want to make sure people know that.”
In order to enforce the restitution order, the Bueckerts would have to initiate a civil lawsuit, which is both expensive and time-consuming.
Tina Bueckert said she and members of her family attended Adrian’s Parole Board hearing in October, 2020. At that hearing, held virtually, it became clear that Adrian has no remorse, and that his behaviour while in prison has been confrontational. He was suspended twice from his last prison program.
Adrian has a long criminal record, with 108 prior fraud-related convictions dating back to 1974. He has also consistently breached his parole conditions over the years.
While the Parole Board documents quoted in the Star-Phoenix story state that Adrian has a monthly pension of $3,500, Tina Bueckert expressed skepticism about that claim.
“At the parole hearing he made up all kinds of stories,” she said. “Where did this pension come from? I asked that at the hearing, and didn’t get an answer. Since when does a career criminal get a good pension? And from whom?”
Tina Bueckert said the trauma of being defrauded, losing their life savings, and a courtroom trial that lasted three years has taken a huge toll on her husband’s health.
“Ben’s mental and physical health has gone downhill rapidly,” she said. “After the trial a couple years ago, he perked up a bit and was involved in helping at the Warman Seniors Centre.
“But recently, he was diagnosed with advanced dementia and also with stage four prostate cancer.
“The medical people say they really believe his dementia progressed so quickly because of the mental trauma he’s gone through. It’s literally torn him apart, and he’s very confused and unable to function normally anymore.”
She said her husband is currently in hospital in Saskatoon. She is hoping he can eventually be accommodated at the Warman Mennonite Special Care Home, a facility that is able to provide Level Four care to residents, and is also within walking distance of the couple’s home.
“I have asked God to help me, and I pray a lot,” she said. “I know He is there for us and we will manage.”