A Ramara Township man has been arrested and charged with fraud in two separate investigations after being accused of defrauding a number of people across Ontario.
The Orillia Crime Unit launched investigations on Aug. 28 and Sept. 28 after “substantial amounts of money were paid to a contractor who did not start the agreed upon construction work,” the OPP said in a press release. Scott Eisemann, 51, was arrested in Orillia on Nov. 4 and has been charged with two counts of fraud over $5,000 as well as two counts of possession of property obtained by crime over $5,000. Eisemann was released on a promise to appear and is set to appear in court in Orillia on Dec. 15.
The fraud charges aren’t Eisemann’s first brush with the law. In 2014, Eisemann pleaded guilty and was sentenced to two years in prison for defrauding a 92-year-old woman of $132,000 for unnecessary home renovations. Southern Georgian Bay OPP also charged Eisemann with fraud and false pretences in another investigation in September 2019, but the case is still pending.
A recent investigation by CBC News revealed that four different OPP detachments in cottage country are investigating multiple complaints against Eisemann and his company, known as Cottage Life Construction.
A Bracebridge cottager lost over $64,000 and filed a fraud complaint against Eisemann after her cottage was lifted for foundation work and left sitting in the air after he abandoned the job, according to the CBC investigation. A Parry Sound couple also filed a report against Eisemann after paying $14,000 for renovations that never happened.
The OPP are urging anyone with complaints about Eisemann to contact their local OPP detachment. If you have any information about crime in our community, contact the OPP at 1-888-310-1122 or report minor occurrences online by visiting opp.ca/reporting.
You can also call Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-8477 (TIPS) or submit your information online at crimestopperssdm.com if you have any information on this crime or any other crime. Crime Stoppers does not subscribe to call display and you will remain anonymous. Being anonymous, you will not testify in court and your information may lead to a cash reward of up to $2,000.
With files from John Lancaster