A British man accused of involvement in a fraud scheme that targeted a Canadian couple’s retirement savings has presented evidence to Mexican authorities indicating he did not handle the missing funds and is also a victim of his alleged accomplice. Harry Robinson, 66, is alleged to have collaborated with a Mexican individual named Jacqueline Herrera Herrera to defraud Cindy Thompson and Glenn Brown of Curve Lake, Ontario, of $280,000 by enticing them with a fraudulent real estate investment opportunity involving seven condominiums.
Robinson has shared a memo and bank documents from HSBC with CBC News, which were submitted to the state attorney general’s office of Quintana Roo. These documents purportedly demonstrate that Herrera redirected the couple’s money through cashier’s cheques and transfers to unidentified accounts. The memo, dated August 24, asserts that Herrera had exclusive control over the account registered under Xen Investments, their former business venture.
The memo urges investigators to obtain a court order to uncover the recipients of the cashier’s cheques and trace the final destination of the funds. Robinson emphasized the importance of following the money trail in fraud cases but criticized the lack of effort in doing so in this instance.
Despite the focus on proving fraud by deceit in the case against Robinson and Herrera, with no immediate actions to track the money’s movement, state prosecutors argue that the promised real estate units were not substantiated, leading to the issuance of arrest warrants against the accused. Robinson, who denies any wrongdoing and claims to have sought assistance from the U.K. Embassy, faces potential imprisonment if convicted of fraud by deceit.
Thompson described Robinson as the intermediary in the deal with unwavering trust, while Robinson maintains that he too was deceived by Herrera and believed the investment was legitimate. Herrera, on the other hand, is proposing a settlement to repay part of the missing funds to Thompson and Brown, with allegations that Robinson is accountable for the remaining amount. The couple is deliberating whether to accept Herrera’s offer amid uncertainties about recovering the entirety of their losses.
Public records indicate Robinson’s background and lack of legal disputes prior to the current allegations. The ongoing legal proceedings in Mexico continue to unfold as the intricacies of the alleged fraud scheme are further investigated.