Burnaby man charged with fraud skips court date
A Burnaby man charged with fraud after allegations he solicited donations by claiming to have cancer did not show up for his court date July 11, prompting a warrant to be issued for his arrest.
Douglas Archie Clark, 64, is charged with 13 counts of fraud—nine counts over $5,000 and four counts of $5,000 or less. As of Monday, a warrant was still outstanding for his arrest, said Crown spokesman Neil MacKenzie.
According to Ridge Meadows RCMP, which arrested and charged Clark, he is accused of portraying himself as a current or retired member of the Canadian military, often with the navy, and occasionally while wearing a military-type uniform.
He has allegedly told victims he has cancer and needs money for treatments not covered under his medical plan. Police believe he has defrauded victims of a total upwards of $900,000 since the early 1990s.
Clark is described as Caucasian, 178 cm (five-foot-11), 91 kg. (200 pounds) with short grey hair, blue eyes, and a fair complexion.
“It has taken us three-and-a-half years to get to this point, and we are still actively investigating more files, involving 40 or more victims," said RCMP Insp. Dave Fleugel in a press release last month. "A good portion of Clark’s victims are people he knows. He has been very convincing in his scams, and his victims honestly believe that he is employed, or was employed, with the military. We know this to be false, and will present our case in court.”
At Clark's last court appearance on June 2, he was granted a conditional release. He is not allowed to contact any of the alleged victims, must remain in B.C., and not wear any military uniform.
wchow@burnabynewsleader.com
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