A Calgary man is accused of stealing $164 million from more than 1,000 victims, police said Tuesday. The RCMP’s integrated market enforcement team (IMET) says 49-year-old Craig Michael Thompson was arrested on July 31. He is charged with two counts of fraud and money laundering in connection with his activities involving his company, Black Box Management Corp. “While representing himself as a one-man investment firm, the accused received funds from Black Box investors on the understanding that he would use the money for day trading,” RCMP said in a news release. “Investors would then receive weekly email updates from the accused about the performance and growth of their respective accounts.” Police say an investigation determined the information contained in the emails was false and Thompson is alleged to have transferred more than $163 million to other accounts. Those accounts included his personal trading account and investment in a U.S.-based company. RCMP say Thompson was also linked to several other invoice-factoring and investment companies: Intelsense Investment Corp., Invader Management Ltd. and Attebyte Investment Corp. He is scheduled to appear at the Alberta Court of Justice on Sept. 3. Anyone who believes they are a victim of fraud directly related to this case should contact investigators directly at FPNWRIMET2023-PFRNOEIPMF2023@rcmp-grc.gc.ca.
