Central Alberta fraudster gets 8 years in prison for tricking dozens of investors

A central Alberta man behind an elaborate fraud — spanning five years and tricking dozens of people out of almost $3 million in total — has been sentenced to eight years in prison.

Dane Skinner, 60, was convicted of fraud over $5,000 and money laundering earlier this year for a fraudulent investment scheme he ran from 2007 to 2013. Skinner was arrested in 2018, with RCMP saying the offences took place in the central Alberta town of Lacombe, just north of Red Deer.

The Red Deer Court of King's Bench heard that Skinner convinced more than 70 people to invest money in several corporations he owned, promising returns from a multimillion-dollar sale of a "revolutionary fracking compound" he said he developed.

Crown prosecutors Megan Rosborough and Kirsti Binns said in their submission it was "nothing more than a con from the outset," and Skinner put investors' funds in his personal accounts and used the money to purchase vehicles and land, among other things.

The fraud involved manipulating investors for years, with the court hearing that Skinner presented false documents about purchase offers and false testing results to prevent investors from discovering the deception.

The Crown submitted that Skinner is not remorseful, nor has he taken responsibility for his actions, and the court must send a strong message of deterrence with a prison sentence of eight to 10 years.

Before the sentencing decision Thursday, Court of King's Bench Justice Gillian Marriott asked Skinner about prior comments that he would be getting the money to repay investors by that day.

Skinner, who represented himself through the legal proceedings, claimed he was considering two different contracts for work that would earn him the funds. He said he'd been working through the details because the contracts "aren't from this country" and had to be translated.

"They're just consulting contracts. I'm not selling anything or doing anything else. ... It'll be mostly on kinetic energy, on nuclear and residential power," he said.

"I can't sign a contract to them if I'm going to go to jail, so that's kind of the hitch to the contract."

Asked by the judge for a response, Rosborough, one of the Crowns on the case, said, "This is a man who's a convicted fraudster.

"He's telling you he's about to receive millions of dollars for nuclear work when he doesn't have a university education," she said.

Marriott called for a break to ask the lawyer acting as amicus — a "friend of the court" appointed to assist in cases involving a self-represented accused — to speak to Skinner and ensure he "appreciates what's happening."

Skinner was subsequently sentenced to eight years in prison on the fraud charge, plus one year imprisonment for money laundering to be served concurrently.

Skinner was also ordered to pay restitution of $2.37 million within six years. Failure to pay will result in another five years of prison time.

He is also subject to a lifetime order requiring him to disclose his conviction before having any job or volunteer position where he's in charge of other people's money or property.