VICTORIA — Former Olympic rower and mutual fund salesman Harold Backer will have his day in provincial court next September, according to the Victoria Times-Colonist.
Backer, who has pleaded not guilty to two charges of fraud over $5,000, will appear before a judge only — not a jury — during his trial Sept. 10, 2018.
Backer, 53, disappeared Nov. 3, 2015, after telling his family he was going on a bike ride. He was spotted on a security camera riding his bicycle away from the Coho ferry terminal in Port Angeles and was not seen again for 17 months.
Shortly after his disappearance, investigators launched a probe into Backer’s My Financial Backer Corp., Victoria police said.
Backer’s investors, who accused him of fraud, had received “concerning letters” from Backer, police said.
In a letter to 15 clients, one of which was published by the Victoria Times Colonist, Backer took responsibility for their financial losses and admitted to starting a pyramid scheme after the dot-com crash of 1999-2000. He said he had a $1.5 million life insurance policy that would cover most of his investors’ losses.
He turned himself into Victoria police April 13, 2017, and was released on $50,000 bail.
