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Canmore accountant charged with fraud set for 2020 trial

CALGARY – A Canmore accountant accused of defrauding nearly 40 people of approximately $5.5 million made an appearance in Calgary’s Court of Queens Bench last Friday (June 7).
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CALGARY – A Canmore accountant accused of defrauding nearly 40 people of approximately $5.5 million made an appearance in Calgary’s Court of Queens Bench last Friday (June 7).

Scheduled to amend his bail, James Russell Neilson is facing fraud charges in relation to a business he set up – Abaca Solutions – and the investors who put money into the venture.

In 2016, Neilson was 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 that proceeds of crime that were laid against Neilson in May 2015.

The first set of charges were laid in relation to an alleged $1 million fraud scheme.

Following that initial investigation, Canmore RCMP said more people came forward with 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,” Sgt. Ryan Currie said in January 2016.

Neilson pleaded non-guilty to the charges, which are set to go to trial in 2020. His recent court appearance was to amend his bail conditions.

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