Missing Olympian in court

Photo: CTV

An investment dealer and former Olympic rower who went missing for nearly a year and a half is scheduled to appear in court in Victoria today.

Victoria police say Harold Backer turned himself in last week and is facing two counts of fraud over $5,000.

The 52-year-old disappeared on Nov. 3, 2015, when he told his family he was going for a bike ride and failed to return home.

Victoria police say it's unclear where he was, but police in Port Angeles, Wash., have said a man fitting Backer's description was spotted on security footage on a ferry shortly after the disappearance.

Financial crime investigators began looking into Backer and the company My Financial Backer Corporation after his investors received concerning letters.

Mutual Funds company Investia Financial Services Inc. terminated Backer's licence after his disappearance, stating he'd failed to follow its policies and procedures that required him to disclose all outside business activities.

Backer, who was on the Canadian rowing team in the 1984, 1988 and 1992 Olympic Games, had 20 clients with Investia.