A Calgary man has been charged with fraud and money laundering after allegedly defrauding several victims out of more than $1.3 million through a Ponzi scheme disguised as an investment opportunity in wine purchases.Brian Robert Gunsten, 52, is accused of orchestrating the scam between January 2020 and February 2021.According to police, Gunsten approached multiple individuals with a purported low-risk, high-return investment opportunity. He allegedly promised victims that their short-term loans would be used to purchase wine, which would then be resold to a confirmed buyer for a profit. Gunsten assured the investors that their loans would be repaid within a short timeframe, with added interest.However, after failing to receive their promised returns, the victims realized that the investment opportunity was a scam. Investigators believe that instead of buying and reselling wine as claimed, Gunsten used funds from new investors to pay off earlier victims, a classic hallmark of a Ponzi scheme.Bank records obtained during the investigation confirmed that the funds provided by the victims were deposited into accounts belonging to Gunsten and were not used for the purposes described to the investors.Gunsten now faces charges of fraud over $5,000 and money laundering. His next court appearance is scheduled for September 16.Authorities are urging anyone with information about this case or similar incidents to contact the police at 403-266-1234. Anonymous tips can also be submitted to Crime Stoppers by calling 1-800-222-8477, visiting www.calgarycrimestoppers.org, or using the P3 Tips app.
