Man accused of damaging hotel to prevent heritage designation walks free.
It is not unusual for demolition contractors to punch holes in walls. What is unusual, however, is for those holes to be created to prevent a heritage designation that might have prevented a hotel’s demolition.
But that is the background to the story of a contractor in Canada who admitted he was paid to punch holes in the old Brunswick Hotel but was acquitted of fraud this morning.
Victor Ramos, 43, had been charged with defrauding Dan Dencev, who owned the hotel and currently owns the Richmond Hotel. Dencev had claimed he paid Ramos $20,000 to be general contractor to demolish the historic hotel.
Ramos said he was paid to punch holes in the walls the day before city council was to discuss possibly giving the building a heritage designation that would have stopped demolition.
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