Giesbrecht Remanded to April 22
The court case involving former Beausejour Mayor Harvey Giesbrecht has been remanded to April 22.
The former mayor is facing 25 counts of fraud following a four-year RCMP investigation into allegations that money placed in the care of the Beausejour funeral home he operated was not used for its intended purpose.
The remand date was granted in Beausejour court on March 18. Giesbrecht did not make a personal appearance.
On Sept. 16, 2013, RCMP in Alberta served Giesbrecht with a summons to appear in Beausejour court in October to face 18 counts of fraud under $5,000 and seven counts of fraud over $5,000.
The charges stem from a time period between October 2003 and July 2009 when Giesbrecht was the owner of Russell’s Funeral Home Ltd. In Beausejour.
It is alleged that Giesbrecht received money from families for prearranged funerals and did not deposit it into trust funds, which contravenes the Prearranged Funeral Services Act in Manitoba.
Russell’s Funeral Home Ltd. Ceased operations with Giesbrecht leaving the province in 2009.
Giesbrecht was able to continue working in the funeral industry in Alberta, first in Leduc and more recently in Drayton Valley, where the RCMP served him.
Giesbrecht was first elected a councillor with the Town of Beausejour in 1995 and served two terms on council over a course of seven years. In 2002, he was elected mayor and served a four year term. He was voted out of office in 2006.
-Staff