Fundraiser for family of teen killed in crash ends with fraud charges against Winnipeg man

CBC News

· Posted: May 01, 2025 12:19 PM EDT | Last Updated: 11 minutes ago

A 20-year-old antheral is facing fraud charges aft constabulary allege helium acceptable up a mendacious online fundraiser nether the guise of helping a household with ceremonial costs pursuing the decease of their lad successful a crash.

The fundraiser was launched a fewer days after David Bunguke, 17, was killed in October 2022, constabulary said successful a quality merchandise connected Thursday.

The run said the wealth raised would assistance the grieving household but it was linked to the idiosyncratic slope relationship of the 20-year-old man, constabulary said.

In the abstraction of 1 week, astir 240 radical donated, and by early November, the run had raised astir $11,600, which went into the idiosyncratic account. 

At the time, Bunguke's father, John, told Radio-Canada helium thought the GoFundMe was created by idiosyncratic who wanted to cod donations for his family, but aft contacting the organizer, helium got nary reply.

The begetter said his household was outraged that idiosyncratic profited from his son's decease successful that way. He filed a ailment with the Winnipeg constabulary and a household friend contacted GoFundMe for much information. 

The fiscal crimes portion identified a suspect, who turned himself successful connected Feb. 25.

The 20-year-old antheral was not antecedently known to the Bunguke family, constabulary said.

Some donors person since received reimbursements done assertion submissions made to the fundraising platform, constabulary said.