A Canmore accountant is facing additional fraud charges related to a business he set up - Abaca Solutions - and the investors who put money into the venture. Canmore RCMP said Friday (Jan.
A Canmore accountant is facing additional fraud charges related to a business he set up - Abaca Solutions - and the investors who put money into the venture.
Canmore RCMP said Friday (Jan. 29) they have laid new charges against the former accountant James Russell Neilson and his next appearance in provincial court is on Feb. 17.
Neilson, 49, was most recently charged with fraud over $5,000, uttering a forged document and laundering the proceeds of crime, which are alleged to have occurred between January 2009 and October 2014. That is in addition to three counts of fraud over $5,000, one charge of theft over $5,000 and one count of laundering the proceeds of crime that were laid against Neilson in May, 2015.
Sgt. Ryan Currie with the local detachment said after the initial investigation, more people came forward with information regarding their financial interactions with the former accountant.
"After the initial investigation we were able to make those charges and then more people came forward and after gathering more evidence, we found there were more offences," Currie said.
The first set of charges are in relation to $1 million and the newest charges allege that the accused defrauded nearly 40 people of approximately $5.5 million.
