A man was arrested and a vehicle was seized after a year-long fraud investigation.
The case started in Cochrane in May 2022 and involved multiple people losing about $64,000 in what James Bay OPP is calling an "investment-style fraud".
On Aug. 8, 2023, officers executed a search warrant at a Chestnut Street residence in St. Catharines, in southern Ontario. A vehicle belonging to the accused was seized as part of an asset forfeiture and was towed to a nearby Ministry of Attorney General's lot.
Harold Osborn, a 48-year-old from St. Catharines, is charged with two counts of fraud over $5,000, fraud under $5,000, theft over $5,000, and possession of proceeds of property obtained by crime over $5,000.
The accused was released from police custody and will appear in court in Cochrane at a later date.
The police investigation involved the James Bay OPP criminal investigations unit with help from the OPP provincial asset forfeiture unit.
None of the charges have been tested in court and the accused is considered innocent unless proven guilty.
