This is the first in a series of stories delving into large-scale cases of suspected fraud and how they go unresolved, and sometimes even uninvestigated, in B.C. and a few specific to Langley.

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Fraud is often an invisible crime. It leaves behind no shell casings, no burned out cars, no yellow police tape.

Yet it can be incredibly destructive for its victims. A caused the team to lose thousands more in grants while the investigation took place. A sowed distrust between band leadership and their own administration. Even the police arenB次元官网网址檛 immune from fraud B次元官网网址� the former Abbotsford Police finance director .

One of the biggest B.C.-linked alleged scams in recent memory came to light when the FBI and U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission laid charges against an international ring related to a pump-and-dump stock fraud. Charged and facing possible extradition is B.C. Hells Angel Courtney B次元官网网址淐ourtB次元官网网址� Vasseur, who allegedly also went by the aliases of B次元官网网址淏lack Water,B次元官网网址� B次元官网网址淐yrill Vetsch,B次元官网网址� B次元官网网址淎rctic SharkB次元官网网址� and B次元官网网址淥scar Devries,B次元官网网址� during the years-long scheme.

Vasseur and his alleged co-conspirators are each charged with conspiracy to commit securities and wire fraud, committing securities and wire fraud, and conspiracy to commit money laundering. Each count carries a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison. Former CFL player and B.C. businessman David Sidoo was also named in the SEC fraud complaint, although he does not face criminal charges.

The allegations against Vasseur and Sidoo have not been proven in court. VasseurB次元官网网址檚 extradition hearing is scheduled to begin on Oct. 30.

When it comes to major frauds in B.C., outside experts like former RCMP deputy commissioner Peter German have been critical of the resources available to fight fraud. Investigations, like that into the $6-million bank fraud by LangleyB次元官网网址檚 Matthew Brooks, can take years before charges are laid.

When German wrote his B次元官网网址淒irty MoneyB次元官网网址� reports on money laundering in B.C., one aspect of fraud investigation he singled out for criticism was the disbanding of the provinceB次元官网网址檚 Commercial Crime Unit.

The unit, dedicated to investigating frauds, was shut down in 2013 and folded into the Federal Serious and Organized Crime Unit (FSOC), a group that has responsibility for everything from major organized crime activity to terrorism investigations.

B次元官网网址淲ith the abolition of the commercial crime section and very few provincial resources, fraud complaints, however large, were left to municipal police and detachments to investigate or decline,B次元官网网址� German critiqued.

While Vancouver Police Department has its own financial crime unit, many smaller suburban and rural RCMP detachments donB次元官网网址檛 have dedicated fraud units, or donB次元官网网址檛 have the resources and expertise to investigate. In Langley, the RCMPB次元官网网址檚 serious crimes unit takes on fraud cases larger or more complex than a stolen credit card, and if the investigation is particularly large, they are to call on E Division B次元官网网址� the B.C. headquarters of the RCMP B次元官网网址� and FSOC for aid.

Does FSOCB次元官网网址檚 fraud unit have enough staff and resources to do their job?

B次元官网网址淪imple answer B次元官网网址� no!B次元官网网址� said Kash Heed, B.C.B次元官网网址檚 former solicitor general and minister of public safety, now a Richmond city councillor.

Major frauds are a responsibility of the federal RCMP, said Heed, who was a longtime Vancouver Police Department officer, and later chief of the West Vancouver Police Department before he was elected in 2009 as a Liberal MLA.

B次元官网网址淏ecause they do not have the resources to do it, they cannot fulfill their mandate,B次元官网网址� Heed said of the FSOC fraud unit.

As of 2022, FSOC had three Money Laundering Teams, which a 2020 organizational chart shows are dedicated to B次元官网网址渢rans-national organized crimeB次元官网网址� and B次元官网网址渢he movement of criminal proceeds to, from, or through British Columbia.B次元官网网址�

There is also an Integrated Market Enforcement Team, which works on securities-related crimes B次元官网网址� in other words, stock market fraud.

To tackle fraud, breach of trust, and corruption cases involving politicians and public officials, there is a Sensitive Investigations Team.

There is also a civilian-only staffed squad, the Financial Integrity Intelligence and Analytical Unit.

Separate from FSOC is a program called the Counter-Illicit Finance Alliance of BC (CIFA-BC), again aimed at money laundering, as well as other financial crime. Two members of the team are FSOC members, with another three from BC RCMP provincial business units.

B次元官网网址淰acancy management is a top priority for the RCMP,B次元官网网址� Chief Supt. John Brewer told the Langley Advance Times in March. He said recruitment was ongoing, including from other police services. B次元官网网址淲e still have work to do.B次元官网网址�

An internal report compiled near the end of 2020 showed all the units were significantly under-staffed.

In 2020, there were two money laundering teams. One had 20 funded position, of which 14 were actually occupied, the second had 23 funded positions, of which 18 were occupied B次元官网网址� vacancy rates of 30 and 22 per cent, respectively.

Integrated Market Enforcement Team had 29 funded positions, of which just 16 were occupied by working officers, leaving a 45-per-cent vacancy rate.

Sensitive Investigations Team has 28 funded positions, of which 20 were occupied, for a 28-per-cent vacancy rate.

The civilian Financial Integrity Intelligence Analytical Unit had just five of its 12 positions occupied, a 58-per-cent vacancy rate.

Serious understaffing is B次元官网网址渢he common occurrence with our law enforcement institutions in Canada right now,B次元官网网址� Heed said.

A report to the Canadian Parliament in January, 2023 found that as of last year in B.C., eight per cent of all RCMP positions were vacant. That doesnB次元官网网址檛 include officers away on extended or medical leave.

Most units are about 30 per cent under strength, Heed said. Compared to U.S. federal agencies like the FBI, Canadian agencies have nowhere near the same capacity.

This means that people in B.C. who have been defrauded are often without recourse through criminal investigations. Some turn to lawsuits instead.

B次元官网网址淲e burden the civil process, when it should be a criminal process,B次元官网网址� Heed said.

He noted that despite the fact that FSOC only has units for certain types of fraud, any major fraud B次元官网网址� bank frauds, business scams, Ponzi schemes B次元官网网址� falls under their mandate to investigate.

If an investigation fails, or is simply not pursued, there are few avenues for victims of crime to hold the RCMP to account.

B次元官网网址淭he problem is the RCMP do not have an accountability process,B次元官网网址� Heed said.

People can file complaints, but the RCMP Complaints Commission B次元官网网址渋s very limited in what they can do, and how transparent they are,B次元官网网址� he said.

B次元官网网址淚t does not instill confidence in the public they serve,B次元官网网址� he added.

Next week: Mark Chandler is currently in prison in California for fraud. In B.C., his ventures included multiple development properties in Langley, as well as a renowned golf course near Merritt B次元官网网址� all of which collapsed under multiple lawsuits and accusations of mis-spent funds. But, no charges were ever laid on this side of the border.