Man charged after numerous London, Ont., residents defrauded of nearly $2M, police say

A London, Ont., man faces charges after 18 people were defrauded of nearly $2 million, police say.

A victim first contacted the London Police Service (LPS) early this yearafter realizing that a large sum of money the individual had invested with a financial adviser dating back to 2003 was missing. The financial adviser was said to have collected investments from a number of people, police said, but did not invest the money obtained.

Through the course of the investigation, the LPS financial crime unit determined a total of 18 people were defrauded of a total of around$1,988,000.

Robert Randall Hawken, 66, of London, has been charged with:

• Fraud over $5,000.
• Possession of property obtained by crime over $5,000.

The accused was arrested Thursday and is expected to appear in London court at a later date in October in relation to the charges.