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Investigators who worked on Chong’s case described it as especially complex.

Chong’s weight, hair and stories changed frequently, said Denis Gagnon, a private investigator hired by one of the alleged victims.

“He’s like a chameleon,” Gagnon said.

A mutual friend’s introduction

Parts of Gagnon’s report were filed in B.C. Supreme Court in connection with a civil lawsuit launched by the man who hired him, a Coquitlam accountant named Evan Jiang. Jiang filed suit in September 2015 seeking to recover the $300,000 he alleges he lost to Howard Chong, also known as Yin-Hou Chong, in a “fraudulent” investment agreement. Chong never filed a response. In May 2016, Jiang won a default judgment from the court, ordering Chong to pay costs plus damages.

In May 2017, Chong was charged with 10 counts of theft and fraud over $5,000, crimes alleged to have taken place in Richmond between 2013 and 2015 involving seven different victims. The day RCMP Cpl. Jagmeet Dandiwal swore the charges in provincial court in Richmond, he also asked for an arrest warrant, affirming there were “probable grounds to believe that it is necessary in the public interest to issue this warrant for the arrest of the accused.”

A justice of the peace granted the Canada-wide warrant immediately.

Later that day, Dandiwal emailed Jiang, thanking him for his “assistance and patience during this complex and lengthy investigation.”

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The criminal charges filed in court don’t specify dollar amounts for the alleged frauds and thefts, but Gagnon wrote in his report that other alleged victims listed in the indictment told him they lost six-figure amounts.