Collingwood, Ont. man accused of ticket scam pleads guilty to fraud

The man known as Todd 'The Fraud' Guthrie pleaded guilty to ripping off roughly a dozen people with a ticket scam.

The Collingwood, Ont. man accused of defrauding thousands of dollars for highly-sought-after hockey and concert tickets has pleaded guilty to a count of fraud over $5,000.

Todd Guthrie, 45, nicknamed ‘Todd The Fraud’ appeared in a Collingwood courtroom Tuesday to plead guilty to one of several counts he was charged with in 2024.

Guthrie entered a bare plea before Justice Esther Rosenberg without a reading of the facts of the case against him. During the proceedings, the court ordered a pre-sentence report to help the sentencing judge gain insight into Guthrie’s personal history.

Guthrie has been in custody for about a month since he was arrested on two more counts of fraud under $5,000 relating to allegations in 2023.

He was first arrested last year when he was accused by about a dozen people of selling them VIP tickets he never delivered.

The charges against him have been addressed monthly for the past year in courtrooms in Collingwood, Bracebridge and Barrie, and included several counts of both fraud under and over $5,000, along with allegations of deception under false pretences.

It’s believed Guthrie used the money to feed a gambling addiction.

Guthrie admitted to the single amended count of the most serious fraud offence that alleged between June and the end of December in 2023 Guthrie defrauded persons in Collingwood, Orillia and elsewhere in Ontario of more than $5,000.

His lawyer Emily Dyer declined to comment on the guilty plea.

Guthrie is scheduled to return to court in late March where it is anticipated the Agreed Statement of Facts will be read to the court. The other allegations against him have not been tested in court.