Jason Bobbitt of West Coast Authentic Sports Memorabilia on Harvey Avenue has 22 civil lawsuits at different stages of the judicial system. Companies like Graydon Group Management, Newcap Inc, and Highlife Designs Ltd. have joined many other private investors who say Bobbitt took them for large sums of money.
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February 07, 2018 – 5.30 p.m.
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KELOWNA – The owner of a local sports souvenir shop is being sued by dozens of people over items they claim they never received or loans that were never paid back.
Jason Bobbitt of West Coast Authentic Sports Memorabilia on Harvey Avenue has 22 civil claims at various stages of the trial, according to online records. Companies like Graydon Group Management, Newcap Inc., and Highlife Designs Ltd. have joined many other private investors who say Bobbitt took them for large sums of money. The cases date back to 2008, but one was filed in November 2017.
In Canada alone, iNFOnews.ca has learned of alleged victims in Vancouver, Port Coquitlam, Port Moody, Williams Lake, Toronto, Prince George and Kelowna.
Prior to moving to Kelowna in 2008, an online sports collector’s forum alleged that Bobbitt was convicted in Fredericton, NB, for failing to buy more than $ 300,000 worth of goods from his New Brunswick store, Crazy Canuck Ltd. delivered.
Alexander Tran is one of his alleged victims but has not filed a lawsuit against Bobbitt.
The 25-year-old lives in Toronto, but regularly buys collectibles online. He says that after the initial deal with West Coast Authentic went well, he allowed Bobbitt to persuade him to spend a lot more money.
“He started talking about other things and said he was a salesman and that he could get me discounted prices. He’s started worrying about how he’s working with other people on a big cause. He said it was a $ 50,000 deal, but I haven’t seen any money yet. ”
He claims Bobbitt owes him about $ 10,000 – all of Trans’s savings.
Vancouver-based Christian Oonk met Bobbitt 10 years ago when he was selling autographs he’d collected as a child. He is one of 22 suing Bobbitt.
As with Tran, the first deal went well, but when Oonk refused to give more money, Bobbitt’s friendly veneer fell.
“I still randomly try to call him to get it, but he’s slick,” says Oonk. “He offers payment plans, but never enforces them.”
He claims Bobbitt owes him between $ 12,000 and $ 15,000.
Last fall, Langley husband Scott Strudwick and his wife reportedly agreed to invest in Bobbitt’s promise to buy rare trading cards from a doctor who was liquidating his collection. Bobbitt said he didn’t have the money himself but wrote out a repayment contract.
The contract was never fulfilled and Strudwick claims his family owed more than $ 150,000.
“In retrospect, we were betrayed, but we trusted him,” he says. “I assumed he was a good guy, now I’ve spoken to several people who have exactly the same story. He performs the same scam over and over again. ”
According to court records, Bobbitt and West Coast Authentic have been or are being sued by 22 different people or organizations in BC alone. Most of the cases are still active.
Strudwick says the lawsuits are pointless.
“(Bobbitt) has nothing worth money,” he says. “The reason he can exist is because everyone is embarrassed that they were betrayed. He’s still sitting in his shop ripping people down. ”
Bobbitt admits the debt, but denies deliberately cheating on anyone. He says he didn’t fight any of the lawsuits.
“I accepted the consent orders … to protect everyone,” he says. “Most of them have been paid off. I hope they all get paid back in the next few months.”
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News from © iNFOnews, 2018
