Ottawa man who says he burned $1M to thwart ex-wife has fundraiser

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Bruce McConville, the Ottawa businessman who informed an incredulous decide in 2020 that he burned $1 million in money so his ex-wife wouldn’t get a dime was set to have a fundraiser for himself on Saturday to pay authorized payments.

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The profit live performance was scheduled for 4 p.m. to 9 p.m. on the Eastview Legion on Cyr Avenue in Vanier.

“A small fortune is required to carry an finish to my authorized travails. Any contribution you would make on this hour of want can be vastly appreciated,” McConville wrote on his Fb account, including that people who couldn’t attend the profit live performance may additionally ship him cash straight.

McConville, 58, was sentenced to 30 days in jail in 2020 to rethink his declare that he burned $1 million.

The Vanier businessman and failed mayoral candidate bought properties and companies behind his ex-wife’s again, then withdrew the $1 million and claimed in courtroom that he burned the cash in two campfires: $743,000 on Sept. 23, 2019, and $296,000 on Dec. 15, 2019.

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McConville has lengthy defied a courtroom order to file an affidavit about his funds, notably the place the cash went from the key property gross sales. As a result of his monetary affairs stay a thriller, the courtroom has been unable to determine what he owes in baby and spousal assist. He was paying neither in 2020.

McConville additionally defied a courtroom order to not promote his properties as a result of there was a worry he was making an attempt to maintain the proceeds out of the courtroom’s attain. McConville, actually, bought some property to his former accountant.

He has additional defied a Superior Court docket order to pay the courtroom $300,000 as a safety.

McConville’s clarification that he set fireplace to the lacking million was revealed throughout a 2020 contempt movement earlier than Superior Court docket Justice Kevin Phillips.

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McConville informed Phillips he withdrew a complete of $1,050,000 by means of as many as 25 withdrawals from six financial institution accounts — and had receipts to again up his declare — however not had the money.

“So the place’s the cash now?” the decide pressed.

“I destroyed it,” McConville replied.

“You’ve misplaced me. What do you imply?” the decide stated.

McConville rambled and spoke of tension a few relationship with a daughter.

“Can I again you up a bit? Whenever you say you destroyed it, what do you imply?” the decide requested.

“I burnt it,” McConville stated.

“To the tune of how a lot?” the decide probed.

“In whole, about 1,000,000 and thirty-nine thousand {dollars},” McConville stated. (He later stated he burned $1,050,000 in all.)

“How does destroying over 1,000,000 {dollars} advance your baby’s greatest curiosity?” the decide requested.

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McConville admitted he didn’t report video of the bonfires of money, had no witnesses and didn’t doc it in any style.

“You perceive that’s laborious to imagine?” Phillips stated.

“Sure, I do,” McConville agreed.

McConville stated he burned the money out of frustration with divorce proceedings.

“It’s not one thing that I might usually do,” he stated. “I’m not an individual that’s extraordinarily materialistic. A bit of goes a great distance. I’ve at all times been frugal. That’s why my enterprise lasted for 31 years.”

Phillips didn’t purchase the story and dominated it was “crystal clear” that McConville “has very clearly and intentionally got down to thwart the courtroom and the right administration of justice.”

Earlier than McConville was escorted out of courtroom in handcuffs in 2020, the decide added: “You’re making a mockery of this courtroom, and its course of, one thing I cannot enable … You’re conducting your self with intent to intentionally and wilfully frustrate the right administration of justice.

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“Extra significantly, I discover what you have got carried out to be morally reprehensible as a result of what you declare to have carried out wilfully and straight undermines the pursuits of your kids.”

The decide then reminded McConville that he, like all dad and mom, had an obligation to offer for his kids. As an alternative, “you have got got down to do injury to your kids’s future by destroying, on goal, the monetary wherewithal that you just had to offer for his or her greatest pursuits.”

The decide stated he needed to ship McConville to jail to ship a transparent message that courtroom orders should be obeyed.

McConville’s fundraiser for authorized payments got here after a courtroom order implementing extreme monetary penalties. In a order, McConville was informed he must pay $2,000 day-after-day to his ex-wife till he complied with courtroom orders to file a full and trustworthy account of his monetary affairs and, notably, the place the $1 million in money went.

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It was $14,000 every week for a person who had lengthy hidden his monetary affairs from courtroom and his ex-wife. McConville has not responded to calls about Saturday’s fundraiser.

The decide, in a 2020 ruling, stated he didn’t assume McConville burned any cash, not to mention $1 million.

“I don’t imagine you. I don’t belief you. I don’t assume you’re trustworthy,” the decide stated. “I urge you to get in compliance as a result of that $2,000 a day goes to run up such that you just lose every little thing.”

A lawyer representing McConville’s ex-wife informed courtroom the story was simply nonsense and famous that, whereas McConville claimed to have zero earnings, paperwork confirmed he had round $9,000 in bills month-to-month.