Further to a joint investigation between the Peterborough Police and the Bereavement Authority of Ontario (BAO), Benson was arrested and faces fraud, criminal breach of trust and forgery charges stemming from his previous position as owner/operator of Benson Funeral Home in Millbrook.
In June of 2017 the Peterborough Police Service’s Fraud Unit began an investigation into the misuse of pre-paid funeral contracts. A joint investigation with the BAO revealed that between 2006 and 2015 when Benson owned and operated the funeral home, he defrauded the Millbrook funeral home of approximately $120,000 by not depositing pre-paid funeral contracts with customers into a trust account.
The investigation also revealed that in January and February of 2017 the accused wrote pre-paid funeral contracts forging customers’ signatures. Benson was arrested on September 6 at a Peterborough residence on Otonabee Drive where, as a result of the investigation, the accused was arrested and charged. He faces charges of Fraud over $5,000, Criminal breach of trust and seven counts of Use, deals, acts on forged documents.
The accused was held in custody, appeared in court on September 6, 2017, was released from custody and is scheduled to appear again in court on October 4, 2017.
