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J ! ! Page A10 ♦ THE CANADIAN STATESMAN ♦ May 31,2006 durhamregion.com Mysterious investor source of counterfeit cheque: accused y Car dealer faces fraud charge . BY JEFF MITCHELL Staff Writer WHITBY - A mysterious investor with deep pockets -- who vanished as suddenly as he appeared - was the source of a phony cheque deposited in an Oshawa used car dealer's bank account, a jury has been told. But the accused man, Andy Abbott, testified Tuesday he still doesn't know exactly who deposited the cheque, for more than $236,000, in his downtown Oshawa bank in March 2002. Nor does, he know the whereabouts of the investor who showed up at his Simcoe Street car lot one day, proposing to put up a large sum of money for a cut in the failing business. business. Mr. Abbott is charged with a single count of fraud over $5,000. A jury has heard workers at the Royal Bank of Canada branch where Mr. Abbott had a business account became suspicious when the substantial cheque, supposedly issued by an insurance company based in Winnipeg, was deposited on March 13, 2002. The balance in the account the previous day was $24, a jury heard. Mr. Abbott was arrested when the bank determined .the cheque to be a counterfeit; counterfeit; He testified Tuesday he kept quiet about the involvement of the investor -- a man he identified as John Sail, who . ran a trucking business in Mississauga -- because he feared he or his family would be harmed if he revealed how he was caught up in a scam. "I had some concerns about repercussions repercussions if I opened my mouth," Mr. Abbott said under questioning by his defence lawyer, Brian Scott. "I wanted to tell (police), but I didn't want to put my family in jeopardy." Mr. Abbott told the jury he met Mr. Sail in early March 2002 when the general manager at his Simcoe Street South used car lot introduced them. Mr. Sail said he planned to relocate; to Oshawa and wanted to invest in a local business, Mr. Abbott testified. "Mr. Sail informed me he had an insurance insurance settlement coming... and that's what he wanted to invest in the business in Veridian offering free electric water First 1,000 eligible customers could save $100 a year DURHAM - If you have an electric water heater and are a Veridian customer, you could qualify for a free tune-up which could save you more than $100 a year. Veridian has announced the Tune-Up and Save program, which will allow the first 1,000 customers who register an opportunity to save on both water heating and lighting. "This is one of a number of initiatives initiatives Veridian is pursuing to help customers manage manage their electricity electricity costs, and to support the Province's goal of. achieving a reduction reduction in electricity use of 10 per cent by 2007," said Clarington Mayor John Mutton, chairman of Veridian. The program is being offered until July 30, 2006, to the first 1,000 eligible program program registrants. All customers of Veridian Veridian with electric hot water heaters are eligible and can call 1-877-331-1115 to schedule an appointment. "The Veridian Tune-up Team will arrive at our customer's home prepared to implement a range of energy-reducing measures. They will insulate hot water pipes, install an insulation blanket on the water heater, check the thermostat setting and even replace old inefficient compact fioresccnl lights in high use fixtures of the customer's choice," said Michael Ange- mccr, Vcridian's president and CEO. On average, water heaters use the most energy in the home after space heating. A 175-litre tank can use up to 5,000 kilowatt hours per year of electricity, a cost of about $500 at today's prices. , "This is a tremendous opportunity for bur customers to save some money and, at the same time, help reduce the province's demand for electricity this coming summer," summer," said Mr. Angemccr. "Saving $100 a year in electricity per household quickly adds up." Veridian distributes electricity to customers customers in a number of municipalities, including Pickering, Ajax, Port Hope, Uxbridge, Bowmanville, Newcastle, Orono, and Port Perry. It is jointly owned by the City of Pickering, the Town of Ajax, the Municipality of Clarington and the City of Belleville. John Mutton Oshawa," Mr. Abbott said. Mr. Abbott said he supplied his banking information and thought no more of the proposition until he received a message that the money had been deposited in his account. He testified he was shocked to learn the deposit was more than $236,000, much higher than the $140,000 he was expecting. "I said that's way too much money," he testified. "(Mr. Sail) informed me the settlement was larger than he thought so he asked me to get a bank draft for $74,000 and forward it to him." Mr. Abbott was arrested at the bank branch several days later. He said he kept quiet about being duped for two years. He said that although be started looking for the man "about five minutes after I got out of the police station," he never found John Sail. Under cross examination by prosecutor prosecutor Heather Bailey, Mr. Abbott admitted his dealership was in financial distress, largely because of a $28,000 debt he owed the Ministry of Finance for unpaid taxes from vehicle sales. He said he didn't give police Mr. Sail's name because even if they arrested him, Mr. Abbott and his family may still be in danger. "He has friends; his friends have friends," Mr. Abbott said. "If you put a person in jail that doesn't necessarily mean the threat is gone." The trial, presided over by Justice Hugh McLean, continues. 0 . \ 9* 4 FINE FOODS Serving Durham Region Since 1979 m