Calgary man faces fraud and obstruction charges
Douglas John Vermeeren is accused of breaching a 2016 settlement agreement with the Alberta Securities Commission.
The day's top stories, food & events — every morning at 7. Unsubscribe anytime.
Calgary man Douglas John Vermeeren has been charged with six counts, including fraud and obstruction of justice, following an investigation by the Alberta Securities Commission and the RCMP's Serious Offences Team.
Vermeeren was charged under Alberta's Securities Act with one count of fraud, one count of obstruction of justice, and four counts of failing to comply with an undertaking he gave to the ASC's executive director.
In 2016, Vermeeren had agreed to cease trading in securities and refrain from acting as a director or officer of any issuer for 10 years. At that time, he admitted to making misleading or untrue statements to investors and engaging in conduct that defrauded investors through his company, Monthly Millionaire Mentor Ltd. He paid a $130,000 settlement.
The new charges allege that Vermeeren breached that agreement by trading in securities and acting as a director or officer of two companies. According to the ASC, while on a 2022 cruise, Vermeeren solicited funds from an individual for a cryptocurrency-related investment in a company referred to as Blockchain Technologies Inc. (BTI). The individual invested in BTI, but Vermeeren "did not use the invested funds as agreed."
The ASC also alleges that Vermeeren obstructed justice by seeking to dissuade the individual from cooperating with the ASC's investigation.
Vermeeren is scheduled to make his first appearance on August 5 at the Alberta Court of Justice in Calgary.