A judge was informed on Tuesday that Scott Brooks, who had previously served over five years in prison for fraud, resumed targeting victims after his release. Brooks pleaded guilty midway through his trial to six counts of fraud, admitting to a total of 17 charges, including fraud, forgery-related offenses, and impersonation. He confessed to defrauding six victims of over $1 million over an eight-year period. According to the agreed statement of facts submitted during his guilty plea, between 2010 and 2018, Brooks was solely engaged in fraudulent activities without any other legitimate employment.
Since his arrest in 2024, Brooks has changed lawyers multiple times, with his trial starting a year ago and facing several delays, including a hospitalization due to an intentional overdose. The prosecutor argued that Brooks was feigning illness to delay the proceedings, leading to the revocation of his bail by the judge. During the trial, as Crown evidence was being presented, Brooks decided to change his plea, finalizing it with an agreed statement of facts prepared by his current lawyer. A sentencing hearing is scheduled for later this year before Court of King’s Bench Justice Robert Armstrong.
Brooks acknowledged all the evidence presented in his trial, including emails he sent and confessions made to the police. In one of his emails to an RCMP investigator in 2019, Brooks referred to himself as a “fraudster,” admitting to deceitful behavior. He confessed to leading a double life, causing harm to families who trusted him. Brooks directed his victims to transfer money into accounts under his wife and underage son’s names, with over $500,000 passing through his son’s bank account.
His fraudulent schemes involved deceiving investors with false claims of involvement in multi-million dollar oil and gas deals. He impersonated lawyers and falsified emails to persuade investors to provide additional funds. For instance, Brooks fabricated a story about inventing a valuable oilfield technology, promising a lucrative profit from its sale. This story was entirely false, aiming to swindle honest individuals out of their money. Victims suffered significant financial losses, such as one couple who handed over $800,000, depleting their retirement savings and resorting to living in their daughter’s basement. Another victim was misled into investing $200,000 in a fictitious business deal with ConocoPhillips, based on forged correspondence from a local lawyer orchestrated by Brooks.