Man accused in Mexican condo scheme claims he was a victim, too | CBC News

WorldA U.K. man facing accusations he took part in a scheme that wiped out a Canadian couple's retirement savings says he's provided proof to Mexican authorities probing the case that he never touched a dime of the vanished funds, and that he's also a victim of his co-accused.Harry Robinson says he never touched Canadian couple's lost retirement savingsListen to this articleEstimated 6 minutesThe audio version of this article is generated by AI-based technology. Mispronunciations can occur. We are working with our partners to continually review and improve the results.Harry Robinson says he's provided proof to Mexican authorities that he never touched the funds he and his co-accused are alleged to have defrauded from an Ontario couple as part of a condo-flipping scheme in Mexico. (Jorge Barrera/CBC)A U.K. man facing accusations he took part in a scheme that wiped out a Canadian couple's retirement savings says he's provided proof to Mexican authorities probing the case that he never touched a dime of the vanished funds, and that he's also a victim of his co-accused.Harry Robinson, 66, is accused of working with a Mexican national named Jacqueline Herrera Herrera to defraud Cindy Thompson and Glenn Brown of Curve Lake, Ont., of $280,000 by offering them a fake deal to buy and flip seven condos.Robinson provided CBC News with a memo and HSBC bank records, both filed with the state attorney general's office of Quintana Roo, that he says proves Herrera redirected Thompson and Brown's money — sent over three installments — through cashier's cheques and transfers to other, unknown accounts. The memo, filed Aug. 24, alleges that Herrera had total control over the account which was under the name of Xen Investments, their former joint venture. It claims Herrera put the account under a "lock" to prevent Robinson from accessing or moving funds. CBC News was not provided with any documented proof outlining the alleged lock on the account.The memo asks state investigators to seek a judicial order to obtain the names linked to the cashier's cheques and other bank accounts to trace the final destination of the funds. "If you watch any criminal show on TV, the one statement that is made all the time: Follow the money," Robinson told CBC News in his real-estate office in Puerto Morelos, a small port town between the tourist hotspots Playa del Carmen and Cancun. Cindy Thompson, right, and Glenn Brown of Curve Lake, Ont., sent $280,000 to a company co-owned by Robinson and his co-accused Jacqueline Herrera Herrera. (Submitted by Cindy Thompson)"And yet, here we are in a fraud case with missing money and no one has made any attempt to follow the money." However, state authorities are not focusing their case against Robinson and Herrera on what happened to the money, according to other court records. There have been no applications yet before the courts to trace the movement of Thompson and Brown's funds after they landed in Xen Investments's account.The investigation is simply focused on proving there was fraud by deceit — that Herrera and Robinson did not have any access or control over the seven condos they offered Thompson and Brown as part of a deal, which promised the couple 100 per cent profit. "This operation evolved as more resources were collected, without the existence … availability or actual allocation of the promised units being documentally proven," says a state prosecutor's filing seeking arrest warrants against Herrera and Robinson, which was obtained by CBC News. "For months [Thompson and Brown] were kept in a narrative of extensions, new fund requests … and imminent refunds that never materialized."Herrera was co-owner of a company called Xen Investments, which is registered in Mexico. She pitched the sale of a condo to Thompson. (Jacqueline Herrera Herrera/Facebook)A state judge issued those warrants on July 24. Herrera and Robinson both obtained stays in Mexican federal court against the warrants, but their state-level criminal proceedings are waiting on a judge to set a date to commence. "I don't think I'm being fairly treated … by the prosecutor's office. I think they're not going after the true criminal in this case," said Robinson. "I've lived my whole life honest, no problems, no criminal record, nothing … and all of a sudden I'm now some sort of master criminal? Nobody makes that transition like that."Publicly available records show Robinson was born in Liverpool and that he worked in Australia and the U.S. before moving to Mexico. CBC News could find no evidence of any sanctions against Robinson or court cases involving him or his businesses. Robinson says he moved to Mexico around 2020 and also has Australian citizenship.A fraud by deceit conviction could lead to a prison sentence ranging between three to 12 years.Robinson says he's asked the U.K. Embassy for help. The 'middleman'Thompson said that Robinson was the "middleman" throughout the months of attempted dealmaking, which started in 2024."I had 100 per cent faith in [Robinson]," she said. "He was very convincing … anytime we had any questions or concerns, he always had an answer … I would get: ‘relax, calm down, everything's going to be fine, it's just taking a long time. It's Mexico, right?'"Robinson says he was also duped by Herrera and believed the deal was real — though he put none of his own money into the pot, despite telling Thompson he would also go in as an investor."The deal was that all my time and effort, everything else, was going to be paid in commission. That commission was set aside and put toward the deal," he said. This condo building in Playa del Carmen was part of the alleged scheme that is now under investigation by Mexican authorities. (Gustavo Huerta/CBC)"And I would see it one day. So I didn't even get anything upfront." Robinson said he met Herrera around three or four years ago and attended several private events with her and that she seemed to be well connected and respected as a Cancun realtor with 30 years of experience. "Everybody seemed to now have gone out of their way to tell me how good a person Jacqueline was, how trustworthy she was, how I couldn't have found a better business partner," said Robinson. "I was a mark in exactly the same way [Thompson] was." Seeking settlementHerrera claims Robinson also took some of Thompson and Brown's money. She is seeking to avoid criminal proceedings by offering to repay part of the missing money through an alternative justice channel that is part of the Mexican system. Herrera is offering to repay $2.4 million pesos — roughly $196,000 — in two installments to Thompson and Brown under a court-authorized settlement. Herrera has claimed — through her lawyer, according to Thompson — that Robinson is responsible for the rest.Arrest warrants issued in Mexico for duo accused in alleged condo scamMexican authorities probe alleged scam that wiped out Canadian couple’s retirement savingsHerrera declined an interview request, but told CBC News it was "never" her intention to defraud Thompson and Brown. Thompson and Brown say they are facing a tough decision on whether to proceed with Herrera's settlement offer."Our biggest worry is, if we accept that, do we get the rest of the money?" said Brown. ABOUT THE AUTHORJorge Barrera is a Caracas-born journalist currently based in Mexico City for CBC News. He previously worked with CBC's Investigative Unit and CBC's Indigenous Unit. Follow him on X @JorgeBarrera or email him jorge.barrera@cbc.ca.Follow @jorgebarrera on Twitter