Wesley Weber

Weber grew up in Amherstburg, a small town near Windsor, Ontario.{{cite news |last1=van Wageningen |first1=Ellen |title=Fake bills flooded retailers |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/37395247/ |work=The Windsor Star |date=28 December 2001 |pages=4}} During his high school years he considered himself a computer nerd{{cite book |title=Our Nation's Finest |date=2012 |publisher=The Globe and Mail, Booktango |isbn=9781468902389 |page=1995 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=6PaG7ygIAC8C&pg=PA1995 |language=en}} and by the age of 13 he was able to produce his first fake bills. After high school, Weber started to study bioscience and took two years of mechanical engineering at the University of Windsor. Before finishing his degree he moved to Toronto and by the age of 26 he purchased a condominium, a Ferrari and various other luxury vehicles.

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During his teenage years Wesley Weber was able to forge all kind of documents, including insurance certificates, welfare cards, cheques and gift certificates.{{cite book |last1=Nash |first1=Jonathan Remy |last2=Estreicher |first2=Samuel |title=Workplace Privacy: Proceedings of the New York University 58th Annual Conference on Labor |date=2010 |publisher=Kluwer Law International B.V. |isbn=9789041131638 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=IjnQb6__aecC&pg=PA729 |language=en}} In 1997 he was sentenced to three months for forgery. After that, he spent weeks tinkering with scanned copies of banknotes to perfect the simulated images and security features using techniques he found on websites.{{cite news |title=Counterfeiting: Notes on a scandal |url=https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/asia/counterfeiting-notes-on-a-scandal-1776329.html |work=The Independent |date=24 August 2009 |language=en}} He used editing software that allowed to enlarge the image up to 1000 times and printed more than 7.7 million dollars using an HP Deskjet printer.{{cite journal |last1=Dewaele |first1=Thomas |last2=Diephuis |first2=Maurits |last3=Holotyak |first3=Taras |last4=Voloshynovskiy |first4=Sviatoslav |title=Forensic authentication of banknotes on mobile phones |journal= Electronic Imaging|volume=2016 |date=14 February 2016 |issue=8 |pages=1–8 |doi=10.2352/ISSN.2470-1173.2016.8.MWSF-083 |url=https://archive-ouverte.unige.ch/unige:145445 |language=en}} To emulate the security features of the real money, Weber used special paper that did not glow under UV light as well as custom foil to forge the metallic patch on the bills. He also purchased fluorescent paint to simulate another feature, the polymer UV responsive dots.{{cite news |last1=Arune |first1=Willow |title=The forgery that wasn't |url=https://www.pressreader.com/canada/the-prince-george-citizen/20180823/page/28/textview |accessdate=27 September 2019 |work=The Prince George Citizen |date=23 August 2018}} He was arrested in October 2000 after a police raid into the building used to print the money, where they seized over a quarter million dollars in counterfeit bills. By November 2001, over 40 000 fake bills had been detected and taken out of circulation.{{cite news |last1=Dubé |first1=Francine |title=Counterfeiters gave $100 bills a bad name |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/37395484/ |work=National Post |date=1 December 2001 |pages=5}} Police started following Weber's trail after he used his 100 dollar counterfeit bills to pay for a three-thousand dollar purchase at an auto parts supplier.{{cite episode |title=Money Maker|url=https://www.dailymotion.com/video/x2q8dhd|series=Masterminds|network= History (Canadian TV network) |station= |date= 7 November 2006|season= |series-no= |number=51 |minutes= |time= 15:38 and 18:15|transcript= |transcript-url= |quote="3 000 dollars in cash, he said no problem", "After Weber leaves the dealer notices that several of his bills have the same serial number and calls police", "authorities seized over a quarter million in counterfeit hundreds"}} The year he was arrested, Canada changed their currency bills, introducing new security features to try to prevent counterfeiting.{{cite news |last1=Suhendra |first1=Zulfi |title=5 Penjahat Terbesar Pembuat Uang Palsu |url=https://www.liputan6.com/bisnis/read/2684614/5-penjahat-terbesar-pembuat-uang-palsu |work=Liputan 6 |date=21 December 2016 |language=id}} Weber pleaded guilty in August 2001, and received a five-year prison sentence. Weber was released from jail in August 2006{{cite news |last1=Amelie |first1=Siska |title=Wesley Weber, Cetak Uang Palsu Sejak Usia 13 Tahun |url=https://www.liputan6.com/bisnis/read/2174414/wesley-weber-cetak-uang-palsu-sejak-usia-13-tahun |work=Liputan 6 |date=11 February 2015 |language=id}} and moved to Richmond Hill, Ontario where he worked selling phones. In 2017, a report by the Bank of Canada cited Weber as one of the most well-known counterfeiters in the country.{{cite news |url=https://www.thegrowthop.com/cannabis-news/landlord-convicted-on-charges-related-to-illegal-toronto-weed-chain-cafe |title=Landlord convicted on charges related to illegal Toronto weed chain CAFE|access-date=11 October 2023 |work=The GrowthOp |date=26 January 2023}}

During his jail term Weber learned market trading{{cite book |last1=Wolman |first1=David |title=The End of Money: Counterfeiters, Preachers, Techies, Dreamers--and the Coming Cashless Society |date=2013 |publisher=Hachette Books |isbn=9780306822698 |pages=68, 69 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=529KDgAAQBAJ&pg=PT68 |language=en}}{{cite news |last1=Calleja |first1=Dawn |title=Faking it |url=https://www.theglobeandmail.com/report-on-business/faking-it/article1074626/ |work=The Globe and Mail |date=27 April 2007}} and after release founded the consulting firm Goldbridge Financial Inc. which provided financial services without registration.{{cite news |title=OSC News Release: Recidivist Wesley Weber pleads guilty to violating the Securities Act |url=https://www.osc.gov.on.ca/en/NewsEvents_nr_20190124_weber-pleads-guilty-to-violating-securities-act.htm |work=Ontario Securities Commission |date=24 January 2019 |language=en}} Weber and his wife, Michelle Kam,{{cite news |last1=Divon |first1=Jordana |title=Law firms offer special deals to lure startups |url=https://www.theglobeandmail.com/report-on-business/small-business/sb-money/law-firms-offer-special-deals-to-lure-startups/article25249627/ |work=The Globe and Mail |date=15 May 2018}} co-founded the digital currency startup company Incryptex{{cite news |title=Company wins provincial cannabis lottery proposing pot shop at same address as illegal CAFE store |url=https://ca.news.yahoo.com/company-same-address-illegal-pot-150009481.html |work=Yahoo! News |date=21 August 2019 |language=en-CA}} which provides a platform for trading and storing digital crypto-currencies.{{cite web |title=Incryptex Ltd. company profile |url=https://www.bloomberg.com/profile/company/1283477D:CN |publisher=Bloomberg |accessdate=26 September 2019}} Weber used the alias 'Wesley Kam' to try to get the company listed on a public exchange by issuing shares and received funds from investors. In January 2019, Weber pleaded guilty to violating a 2011 trading ban from the Ontario Securities Commission for his activities in Incryptex.{{cite news |last1=Langton |first1=James |title=Ontario man pleads guilty to violating trading ban |url=https://www.investmentexecutive.com/news/from-the-regulators/ontario-man-pleads-guilty-to-violating-trading-ban/ |accessdate=27 September 2019 |work=Investment Executive |date=24 January 2019 |language=en}} On 29 October 2019, he was sentenced for that offence to a prison term of 90 days, along with two years of probation by Justice Malcolm McLeod of the Ontario Court of Justice.{{Cite web |date=2019-10-29 |title=Recidivist Wesley Weber Sentenced after Guilty Plea to Securities Act Offences |url=https://www.osc.ca/en/news-events/news/recidivist-wesley-weber-sentenced-after-guilty-plea-securities-act-offences |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210410222922/https://www.osc.ca/en/news-events/news/recidivist-wesley-weber-sentenced-after-guilty-plea-securities-act-offences |archive-date=2021-04-10 |access-date=2023-10-15 |website=www.osc.ca |language=en}}

Wesley Weber had been a marijuana farmer in the past. In April 1999 he got arrested for exploiting a grow op in the basement of his home in Windsor and again in 2010 for planting marijuana in another farmer's field.{{cite news |last1=Wilhelm |first1=Trevor |title=Amherstburst police arrest marijuana farmers |url=https://www.pressreader.com/canada/windsor-star/20100618/281522222338128 |accessdate=22 June 2019 |work=Windsor Star |date=18 Jun 2010}} That year, he was sentenced to 18 months of house arrest and 240 hours of community service. In September 2017 Weber used the alias 'Jeff Murray' to speak in front of the city councilors at Toronto's Licensing and Standards Committee and gave his recommendations on how they should regulate cannabis establishments.{{cite web |title=Licensing and Standards Committee - City of Toronto recommendation for cannabis legalization |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QJi-H4Fy4Dk&t=8041 |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/varchive/youtube/20211221/QJi-H4Fy4Dk |archive-date=2021-12-21 |url-status=live|publisher=Toronto City Council |language=en |date=18 September 2017}}{{cbignore}} In October 2018, the Cannabis Act legalized the use of marijuana for recreational purpose in Canada.{{cite web |url=https://www.canada.ca/en/health-canada/news/2018/06/backgrounder-the-cannabis-act-the-facts.html |title=The Cannabis Act: The Facts |date=20 June 2018 |website=Health Canada |publisher=Government of Canada |access-date=27 October 2018}} Weber declared that he helped finance a chain of cannabis stores named CAFE and according to a CBC News investigation he was one of its founders and main owners.{{cite news |last1=Dubinsky |first1=Zach |title=CAFE landlord cleared of all cannabis charges as latest attempt to crack down on illegal pot shop fails |url=https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/toronto/cafe-toronto-landlord-ghelichkhani-trial-acquitted-1.6482321 |access-date=24 January 2023 |publisher=CBC News |date=8 June 2022}}{{cite news |last1=Dubinsky |first1=Zach |title=CAFE landlord convicted on appeal in Toronto illegal pot-shop case |url=https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/toronto/cafe-toronto-landlord-ghelichkhani-trial-convicted-appeal-1.6726118 |access-date=11 October 2023 |work=CBC News |date=25 January 2023}} His wife served as director of a company that owns one of the properties used by CAFE.{{cite news |last1=Dubinsky |first1=Zach |title=Illegal pot-shop bigwig should get 16 months for securities offence, prosecutor says |url=https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/toronto/wesley-weber-osc-sentencing-1.5304863 |work=Canadian Broadcasting Corporation |date=1 October 2019}} She was also the guarantor of a 1.7 million dollar loan on that real estate.

{{Reflist|30em}}

• [https://www.dailymotion.com/video/x2q8dhd Money Maker]: Episode 51 about Wesley Weber of the Canadian History channel TV series Masterminds ([https://www.imdb.com/title/tt1023684/ iMDB]).

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Category:Living people

Category:Canadian counterfeiters

Category:People from Amherstburg, Ontario

Category:Year of birth missing (living people)

Category:20th-century births