Fraud-accused pastor’s hearing adjourned

The legal troubles of Pastor Gavin Otto continue to mount as he faces seven separate fraud charges.

While six of the cases have already been sent to the High Court, the committal hearing for the last case has been postponed until November 30.

Otto stands accused of defrauding several people by accepting payment for goods and services that he never delivered.

In one of the latest incidents, which occurred in March 2023, Otto allegedly accepted over $15,000 from a man in exchange for a 40-foot container that never arrived.

This led to his arrest and subsequent charge. However, this is just one of the many allegations that Otto faces.

The other six cases against him involve charges of fraudulent conversion and obtaining money through false pretenses.

In these cases, it is alleged that he obtained money from multiple individuals for various services that he failed to provide.

For instance, a woman claims to have paid Otto $16,000 in February 2021 for two 40-foot storage containers, but she never received them.

When she contacted the defendant, he gave her a bounced cheque and eventually delivered only one of the two containers she had paid for.

In another case, Otto exchanged multiple cheques totaling over $20,000 at the Bridge Service Station between July and August of 2022.

However, all the cheques were returned due to insufficient funds in his account.

Further investigations led officers to obtain a search warrant for Otto’s home in October, where they discovered various receipts and cheque stubs.

During the operation, Otto attempted to evade the police by jumping a fence, but he was apprehended. In July 2021, Otto reportedly convinced another person to purchase building materials from him.

The complainant paid him $99,000, but only $30,000 worth of materials were delivered.

Otto claimed he needed additional funds to clear the rest and handed over a $69,000 cheque that eventually bounced. Similarly, in September 2022, Otto allegedly duped a man out of $16,000 for four bundles of steel, but the buyer only received two bundles.

VEG International Hardware Store and another individual also fell victim to Otto’s alleged fraudulent schemes, losing thousands of dollars.

The outcome of the case against Pastor Gavin Otto remains uncertain, and he must wait six more weeks to see if the police have gathered enough evidence to advance his case to a higher court.