Fredericton man admits to defrauding Ottawa
Joshua Lee Best, 37, admitted Thursday to impersonating disabled man to fleece the Canada Revenue Agency of thousands of dollars over course of several months
A Fredericton man will be sentenced in November after admitting Thursday he impersonated a disabled man in a scheme that saw him defraud the federal government of thousands.
Joshua Lee Best, 37, of George Street, was scheduled to stand trial Thursday in Fredericton provincial court on charges of personating Kelly Lee Moses fraudulently for monetary gain and defrauding the Canada Revenue Agency (CRA) of more than $5,000.
The charges arise from events in Fredericton between Dec. 3, 2020, and July 22, 2021.
Best, who represented himself in court Thursday, told Judge Scott Brittain the trial wasn’t proceeding, as he was changing his pleas to guilty on both counts.
Crown prosecutor Rodney Jordan asked for victim-impact statements from both Moses and the CRA. However, he noted Moses would require some assistance.
“Mr. Moses has an intellectual disability,” Jordan said, noting his caretaker, Jodi Millett, would help to facilitate the victim-impact statement.
Best also asked for a pre-sentence report.
Brittain ordered the preparation of that report and the victim-impact statements, and he scheduled Best’s sentencing hearing for Nov. 14.
Don MacPherson can be contacted at ftonindependent@gmail.com.