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Canada Border Services would not comment, citing the Privacy Act.

The taxpayer-funded awards given to victims Mr. Arar and Mr. Milgaard were announced to the media and came with public apologies; whatever Mr. de Jaray received was settled out of court by the two parties, who say they are bound by an agreement not to reveal the monetary details.

Mr. de Jaray describes his former life, in court documents, as a high-rolling entrepreneur who founded at least seven companies between 1978 and 2002.

He lived in a West Vancouver mansion. He mingled in elite social and business circles.

He built one of his companies, Aim Global Technologies of Delta, into a multi-million operation.

But in 2004 he entered into a settlement with the B.C. Securities Commission, admitting to improperly reporting insider trades; needing tighter salary rules after the board raised concerns he was overpaid by $400,000; and failing to disclose that he was given a Ferrari by a consultant who worked for the company.

Today, Mr. de Jaray admits he made mistakes at his former company, although he insists they were unintentional ones not meant to harm the company or its shareholders.

In 2002, he founded Apex, which grew to more than 200 employees and $40 million annually in sales by 2008.

He also started a winery in Oregon, promising it would quickly become one of the state’s largest and most popular labels.

That flamboyant life began to unravel days before Christmas in 2008, when Apex shipped two boxes of electronics — including microchips that could be used in flatscreen TVs and video game consoles — to Hong Kong. This was routine for the company, which made or sourced components for major electronics manufacturers in the aerospace, telecommunications, medical and automotive industries.