Two Victoria, B.C.-area men have been arrested and charged with securities law violations stemming from an alleged illegal distribution and unregistered trading.
The B.C. Securities Commission (BCSC) announced that its criminal investigations team, along with the Saanich police department, arrested and charged Daniel Mark Jeremy Barton and Gregory Adam William Gillespie over a purported real estate investment.
The BCSC alleges that in 2008 and 2009, Barton and Gillespie distributed securities related to an investment centred on an Alberta numbered company controlled by Barton (1250604 Alberta Ltd.), which was doing business as both Oasis Properties and Caprice Investments. It also claims that Barton and Gillespie actively solicited investments in Oasis/Caprice without being registered, filing a prospectus, or applying for exemptions. The charges have not been proven.
The pair were arrested by the BCSC’s criminal investigations team without incident at their homes. It was assisted in the arrests by the Saanich Police; which, along with the Westshore RCMP, also aided the BCSC during the investigation.