Mississauga Kidnapping Victim Charged with Fraud
Published October 5, 2016 at 3:45 am
So, here’s a bizarre development in a case that was already pretty strange to begin with.
Late last week, the Ontario Securities Commission (OSC) announced that Mississauga man Reza Mokhtarian has been charged with “an alleged breach of the Criminal Code following an investigation by OSC’s Joint Serious Offenses Team (JSOT).”
In layman’s terms, Mokhtarian (who has described himself as a millionaire, foreign exchange expert and business coach) has been charged with fraud — specifically one count of fraud against the public over $5,000.
It has been alleged that he committed the offense between July 1, 2013 and Dec. 31, 2015.
This case is a little interesting because, as you may recall, Mokhtarian (who was living in Mississauga at the time) was the victim of a bizarre kidnapping that took place this past February.
In early 2016, Mokhtarian was found tied up, half-naked and beaten in a Brampton ditch.
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After the attack, Mokhtarian took to Facebook to insist that his kidnappers were competitors and told the CBC that the assailants warned him to stop working in the foreign exchange industry.
When the news outlet went to chat with him at his Mississauga mansion (he now lives in King City), he was sporting multiple injuries (massive facial swelling and bruising, bodily contusions, etc.). He also told reporters that he had “dislocated ribs,” a concussion and swelling around his brain.
He described a harrowing kidnapping, saying he was pulled into a van after playing soccer with friends at the Hershey Centre and punched, assaulted with a knife and threatened with a gun. He said he was held hostage in his Mississauga home for over 15 hours.
He wrote the following on his Facebook page:
“Thank you everyone for the get well wishes. All the stories are true. I was kidnapped by around 10 men of I believe Sri Lankan decent at gun point and taken for 15 hours. I apologize for missing my event. Until I speak to the press I cannot reveal too much information other than this was a setup from a Forex [foreign exchange] company similar to mine that did not want me to continue trading. I am just happy that I can see my daughter and family. I’ll be back stronger than ever. I have broken ribs, severe concussion, massive head trauma, busted lower extremeties and a lot more. But I will triumph over this. I’m a survivor and only focused on growing mentor tips and my beautiful family. Love you all and see you fresh for Monday trading. Bless.”
After he was discovered in the ditch, Peel police began searching for suspects and, according to the CBC, a man and woman were arrested in connection with the incident in March.
When the CBC interviewed Mokhtarian, he denied that the kidnapping was related to previous business endeavours that went sour and was adamant that a rival company had orchestrated the attack.
That said, Mokhtarian’s business practices had been under fire leading up the kidnapping, as a group of former clients had alleged he scammed them. He told the CBC that the clients were “glory seekers” who never lost money because they traded it freely.
Although the entire situation is bizarre, there is currently no indication that the kidnapping and current fraud charge are linked.
Mokhtarian is scheduled to appear in court on Oct. 26 in Toronto.
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