Fraud charges against Craig O’Brien, the former owner of Certified Windows and Doors, have been withdrawn after his death, according to court records and his former lawyer.
O’Brien, 51, had faced four charges tied to his former Windsor, Ont., company, including two counts of fraud over $5,000 and one count of uttering a forged document, laid in 2019 when he was 44. Court records from 2026 also show he had been charged with criminal breach of trust. The charges were formally withdrawn on Oct. 2 following his death. His lawyer declined to disclose the cause of death when contacted by CTV News.
Complaints Dating Back to 2018
The case stems from allegations first reported by CTV Windsor in November 2018, when several residents said they had paid deposits or made payments for window and door work that was never completed, and in some cases never started. Windsor Police Service’s Financial Crimes Branch said at the time it had received more than 70 complaints related to the business. The Better Business Bureau of Western Ontario also issued an alert after receiving roughly 30 complaints about the company’s practices in late 2018.
In an email to CTV Windsor in 2018, O’Brien attributed the company’s problems to the cancellation of provincial incentive programs and clerical errors.
What Withdrawal Means for Complainants
The Crown attorney’s office confirmed the charges were withdrawn as a direct result of O’Brien’s death. “A criminal prosecution cannot continue against a person who is deceased,” the office said in a statement, adding that because there was no finding of guilt, the court cannot issue orders that depend on a conviction, such as restitution.
The Crown’s office said it does not handle civil matters and directed any potential victims to seek independent legal advice. It added that questions about claims against a deceased person’s estate, or obligations to lenders, fall under private law and that it could not provide legal guidance on those issues. O’Brien’s lawyer referred questions about the impact on complainants to the Crown attorney’s office.
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