A Collingwood man accused of defrauding people across the region by selling non-existent concert and hockey tickets appears set to plead guilty to at least some of the charges he faces.
Todd Guthrie, 45, has been charged with more than a dozen counts, including fraud over $5,000.
His lawyer made a brief court appearance by video on Wednesday in Barrie.
The matter was put over to Feb. 11 in Collingwood court for a resolution. It's expected Guthrie will plead guilty on that date.
It won’t be known until that time how many charges Guthrie will plead to, but it's not uncommon for the Crown to withdraw other charges as part of the resolution.
Guthrie’s charges were in various jurisdictions, which took time bringing them together for a uniform resolution.
The Crown had indicated during a court appearance in December in Barrie that it was preparing to proceed toward a 10-day trial in the spring for charges in its jurisdiction.
With Wednesday’s development, a spring trial in Barrie now appears unlikely.
Guthrie is alleged to have used various online and social-media tools to dupe customers into buying tickets he failed to deliver. He also allegedly exploited personal relationships to do the same.
Court heard the total value of the scams was $70,000, but numerous sources have told BarrieToday the actual amount is likely much higher and that there are victims who have not come forward.
One victim was a Barrie bar owner who was seeking to fulfil contest prizes.
Ticket buyers had hoped to attend events ranging for a Morgan Wallen concert last summer to the NHL All-Star Game weekend that was held in Toronto in January 2024.
