Self-described millionaire found beaten in Brampton ditch charged with fraud
A self-described millionaire and business coach found beaten and half-naked in a Brampton, Ont., ditch earlier this year has now been charged with fraud, CBC News has confirmed.
Reza Mokhtarian has been charged with one criminal count of fraud against the public over $5,000 between July 1, 2013, and Dec. 31, 2015, the Ontario Securities Commission said in a release Friday.
He is due in court in Toronto on Oct. 26. The OSC declined to provide further details about the fraud charge, saying the matter is before the courts.
In February, Mokhtarian identified himself as the man found in the ditch, claiming on Facebook that his assailants were competitors.
The Mississauga, Ont., man said he was dragged into a van on Feb. 25 after playing soccer with friends before being held captive in his home for 15 hours by four "large individuals." He alleged another three men guarded the exits to his home, though details were murky because, he said, he had a concussion at the time.
Police later found a grey 2010 Bentley — with the licence plate "OCEANSKY" — which they say belonged to the victim.
In March, two people, a man and woman from Brampton, were charged with kidnapping and forcible confinement. They are next set to appear in court on October 7th.
Peel Regional Police would not say if the fraud charge and the beating and kidnapping are linked in any way.
At the time, lawyer David Marcovitch told CBC News that a group of Mokhtarian's former clients alleged he had scammed them.
"He held himself out as a foreign exchange trader, and we have not been able to confirm that he is registered," said Marcovitch, who represented five of Mokhtarian's former clients. "And now their investments have been lost."
In an interview following the alleged assault, Mokhtarian said he believed those responsible were competitors. The 33-year-old also denied his alleged kidnapping might have had anything to do with a previously failed business venture.
Asked about his former clients at the time, Mokhtarian dismissed their claims.
"They're just glory seekers for media," he said. "No one lost money, because they traded money on their own free will."
The release from the OSC says the charges followed an investigation by the commission's joint serious offences team, which includes the RCMP's financial crime program and Ontario Provincial Police's anti-rackets branch.
Mokhtarian declined to comment on the fraud charge.
