EDITOR鈥橲 NOTE: This story mentions suicide.
A Chilliwack waitress has penned a true story about meeting the 鈥榳ealthiest man in the world.鈥�
鈥淚 don鈥檛 advertise it as what the book is about because the story is so spectacular and the ending just hits you in the face,鈥� said Glenda Toews. 鈥淎t the end of the day, it was a huge scam.鈥�
She wrote Spinning on a Barstool after losing tens of thousands of dollars in an alleged fraud.
Glenda has worked at Corky鈥檚 Irish Pub in Chilliwack for 14 years and it was there that she met Daryl Schmidt during the pandemic, back in August 2020, when he stepped into the pub for some drinks.
鈥淗e was unassuming. He didn鈥檛 wear jewelry, he wasn鈥檛 flashy, he was very clean.鈥�
He started coming into Corky鈥檚 daily and Glenda got to know him better as the months went on.
He said he was from the Cayman Islands and he was married to a Canadian woman. They couldn鈥檛 fly back to the Cayman Islands because of COVID restrictions. Daryl said he started the very first Cactus Club, owned casinos all over the world, and was the owner of the Los Angeles Chargers football team and SoFi Stadium. He said he owned Google, MGM in Vegas, and recently bought Amazon.
But, if anyone googled his name, it would come up blank.
No one would find information on him because 鈥渉is security wipes everything,鈥� she recalled him saying to her.
鈥淗e said, 鈥榃e let people 鈥� like Elon Musk and Bill Gates 鈥� be the centre stage. The real wealth, it lies beneath them. The world thinks they are, but the real wealth, they stay away from the spotlight,鈥欌�� she said. 鈥淚t was quite intriguing.鈥�
He would go into in-depth details about his stories, keeping everything consistent.
鈥淗e鈥檚 not stupid. He鈥檚 actually very brilliant.鈥�
Daryl and Glenda became very good friends 鈥� he and his wife would hang out regularly with Glenda and her husband. Later, Glenda would even call Daryl her best friend.
About three to four months in, Daryl offered Glenda a chance to invest in hedge funds.
She started by giving him a few thousand dollars 鈥� it was her tip money, her 鈥渞ainy day鈥� money. Some of the money she invested was for herself, but most of it was for friends and family members. The plan was to leave the money for a year and then surprise those people later.
鈥淚 thought if I lose it, it鈥檚 not a big deal.鈥�
The beginning of the Foundation of Hope
More months passed when Daryl and Glenda started talking about doing good in the community and also in Ukraine and Germany, where Glenda鈥檚 two daughters live. They were going to help the homeless in Chilliwack, offer aid to Ukrainian grandmothers who had been abandoned, and help less-fortunate people in Germany.
She called it Foundation of Hope. Daryl, Glenda and others all put in money to launch it.
Daryl led her to believe everything was in the works as the months went on. But there were delays. Daryl decided to divorce his wife who was apparently stealing millions from him. Then his father died, and then his mom died.
He鈥檇 use local news stories and world headlines to his advantage, weaving them into his stories.
In November 2021, there were problems getting bank cards mailed out because roads were closed due to flooding and snow storms. He claimed the reason for other delays in starting up the two charities in Europe had to do with world events, like Russia invading Ukraine and an election in Germany.
It was just a coincidence that the two charities happened to be connected to countries making headlines.
鈥淭he universe fit beautifully,鈥� she said.
She kept investing and waiting, investing and waiting. Over the months, it ballooned from giving him a few thousand dollars to tens of thousands of dollars.
鈥淵ou鈥檙e up and down with emotions because you鈥檙e like, 鈥楻eally? Another delay, another delay, another delay?鈥� And then you鈥檙e wondering if it鈥檚 true.鈥�
One day a friend messaged Glenda with a link to a about a convicted fraudster named Daryl Heiligsetzer. According to the Herald, Heiligsetzer went to prison in 2005 for committing a $1.5-million investment fraud, and then was out on parole in 2015 when he was alleged to have committed a similar scam, duping approximately 45 investors of more than $400,000.
She looked closely at the photo under the headline. It was an image of a younger Daryl.
Daryl Schmidt was Daryl Heiligsetzer.
鈥淔irst, I was relieved because it was true. For a year and a half, it was like this hope dangling and you鈥檙e never getting it.鈥�
Then she started wondering what the bigger picture was. What else was he planning on doing? Was he going to hack her bank accounts?
Glenda was paranoid for about two months as she put alerts on social insurance numbers and changed bank account numbers.
She went to RCMP, they opened up a file, but she claimed police said there wasn鈥檛 much they could do.
鈥淲丑补迟 can I do then?鈥� she recalled asking an officer. 鈥淗e said, 鈥榊ou can tell your story.鈥� So, here I am. I wrote the book.鈥�
Spinning on a Barstool is all about Daryl鈥檚 stories and Glenda鈥檚 ups and downs of waiting. Emails have been printed word for word in the book.
In the end, after being involved in a scam that lasted a year and a half, Glenda lost roughly $60,000.
She admits she had some dark thoughts.
鈥淲hen you hear of people being scammed big and they kill themselves, I get it. It鈥檚 got nothing to do with the money. It really comes down to complete and utter humiliation.
鈥淲hen a person falls for something like that, you (hear) all those voices of every insecurity you ever had in your life,鈥� she said, choking back tears. 鈥淵ou brought so much hope to people, to your kids, and you have to go and say, 鈥楴o, none of that鈥檚 happening.鈥欌��
Insp. Jeff Bowerman confirmed Chilliwack RCMP did conduct an investigation into Glenda鈥檚 file.
鈥淎ny criminal fraud reported to the police is investigated,鈥� he stated in an email to The Chilliwack Progress. 鈥淭his investigation is currently closed and should new information be received can be re-opened.鈥�
He could not comment on the details of the investigation.
Spinning back to a good cause
Glenda says she wrote Spinning on a Barstool for a few reasons.
鈥淚 really wanted it in every pub and restaurant in all of B.C. and moving through Canada 鈥� so that people are aware that the person that鈥檚 sitting beside them could be Daryl.鈥�
He has also used the name Daryl Smythe, Glenda added.
Secondly, she鈥檚 hoping she can do some good with book sales by raising money for the three charities they had planned to start under Foundation of Hope.
Seventy per cent from each book purchase will go to Foundation of Hope while the other 30 per cent will help Glenda recoup her bad investment.
People can purchase Spinning on a Barstool by Glenda Toews for about $24 at various locations online. For more info, go to or email info@glendatoews.com.
The Chilliwack Progress attempted to contact Daryl via email and two phone numbers. There was no reply to the email, and one phone number was no longer in service. When the reporter called the second phone number and asked if she was speaking with Daryl, the man who answered said: 鈥淣o, sorry you鈥檝e got the wrong number. I think I鈥檝e got his old phone.鈥�
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