Businessman torches $1M rather than paying his ex-wife, daughter

A Canadian businessman who once made a failed bid for mayor was jailed for a month after telling a judge he set fire to more than a million Canadian dollars to avoid paying his spousal and child support, according to a report.

Bruce McConville told Ottawa Superior Court Justice Kevin Phillips he “destroyed” 1,050,000 Canadian dollars — or more than $750,000 — after withdrawing the large sum from six bank accounts, the Ottawa Citizen reported.

McConville was present for a hearing regarding the alleged contempt when he copped to getting rid of the money, which was meant to go to his ex-wife and child.

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He allegedly went further to sell properties and his businesses behind his ex-wife’s back and despite the judge’s orders not to. He has also neglected to provide the court with information pertaining to his finances and has failed to pay the court $300,000 in security, according to the report.

The financial information is necessary to determine how much McConville must pay to in spousal and child support.

When Phillips probed McConville about the whereabouts of the money, he further explained: “I burnt it,” according to the report.

“I don’t believe you," the judge said about the circumstances surrounding the money, according to the report. "I don’t trust you. I don’t think you’re honest."

On Jan. 28, the jurist ordered him to serve 30 days behind bars, followed by a $2,000/day, or $14,000 weekly fine, that must be paid directly to his ex-wife, until he cooperates with the court, the outlet reported.

McConville, who has not responded to FOX Business' request for comment, first said he only torched 1,039,000 Canadian dollars before copping to the full sum.

“How does destroying over a million dollars advance your child’s best interest?” Phillips asked.

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The failed Ottawa mayoral contender, who ran for the office in 2018, said he saved receipts of the money withdrawals, but did not keep any record of the fires, whether through tapes or witnesses.

He set the cash aflame on two different occasions: On Sept. 23, he burned 743,000 Canadian dollars, or $559,425. On Dec. 15 he torched another 296,000 Canadian dollars, which amounts to roughly $222,866, according to the outlet.

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“It’s not something that I would normally do,” McConville told the court. “I am not a person that is extremely materialistic. A little goes a long way. I have always been frugal. That’s why my business lasted for 31 years.”

Neither McConville’s ex-wife nor his attorney was named in the report.

After handing down his jail sentence, Phillips warned McConville: “It may well be, therefore, that your remaining assets, equity in the home and RRSPs, etc., end up entirely in the hands of (ex-wife). If that’s the result you are trying to bring about, then so be it."

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