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by Mike Caswell

Phillip Offill, a former Texas lawyer with many Canadian connections, is facing the loss of several properties and other assets as part of a criminal case in Virginia. Prosecutors claimed that Mr. Offill, 64, was part of a "wholly fraudulent" operation that included obtaining shares through forgery and deception. As part of the scheme, he and an associate unloaded shares worth $1.3-million in Mansfield-Martin Exploration Mining Inc., a mining listing on the OTC Markets, the government said. (All figures are in U.S. dollars.)

The case is mostly concluded, with Mr. Offill having pleaded guilty and the judge having sentenced him to six years in prison. Still unresolved, however, is the matter of Mr. Offill's restitution to victims. To that end, a man claiming to be the primary victim of the scheme has come forward seeking many of Mr. Offill's assets. That man, Charles Stidham of Texas, filed a claim on Sept. 21, 2023, in Mr. Offill's criminal case.

In his claim, Mr. Stidham says that he was defrauded of 15 million shares as part of Mr. Offill's scheme. The "uncontested value" of those shares is $750,000, based on a price of five cents per share, Mr. Stidham says. As he sees things, he is entitled to Mr. Offill's assets as compensation for his loss. (The legal basis for his claim is not entirely clear. Mr. Stidham filed the document himself, without the benefit of a lawyer.)

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