Golden Boy : The Disappearance of Harold Backer - the fifth estate
HTML-код
- Опубликовано: 17 окт 2024
- UPDATE (APRIL 14TH 2017) : On Friday April 14th more than 520 days after his disappearance, police in Victoria, B.C., said Backer had turned himself in and was being held in custody. More from CBC News here : www.cbc.ca/news...
Why did three-time Canadian Olympian turned financial advisor Harold Backer disappear, taking $3 million dollars of his clients' and close friends' money with him? Bob McKeown searches for answers
---
Subscribe for more videos from the fifth estate : bit.ly/25W8cpn
Connect with the fifth estate online :
Website : bit.ly/1d0FBxq
Facebook : bit.ly/1UO9B8S
Twitter : bit.ly/237VM8P
Instagram : bit.ly/25W8SLs
About the fifth estate : For four decades the fifth estate has been Canada's premier investigative documentary program. Hosts Bob McKeown, Gillian Findlay and Mark Kelley continue a tradition of provocative and fearless journalism. the fifth estate brings in-depth investigations that matter to Canadians - delivering a dazzling parade of political leaders, controversial characters and ordinary people whose lives were touched by triumph or tragedy.
I'm almost 70 and I've learned 3 things in life: don't lend money (you'll make an enemy when you want it back, especially don't pay someone's bail): don't let anyone move in with you (you'll make an enemy when it doesn't work out; and don't trust most people (they will betray your trust and you will be hurt in the end).
P French sound advice!! 👌🏾
Miss Daisy, my kids are young adults and I tried to teach them that people are good but they are already learning not to trust anyone.
I'm almost 70 too, and I couldn't agree with you more!
Omg so true...I'm 60 and just learned the last of those 3
Amen
12:21 the most Canadian thing ever...
"I feel like I've been kicked in the, in the , in the..."
"You can say it"
"Balls"
I don't think you guys understand that he isn't gone with the $3 million. The $3 million is gone.
Bret Harley That is accurate.
Exactly the gone was gone way before he left. In this case I dont think this was a matter of greed or theft but instead bad investment, he thought he could recover but it just kept getting worse.
@@emilyn7572 I wonder if he left thinking he could start over and maybe, someday, be able to pay it back. And, if he found he could not, just die somewhere & let his body be found so that life insurance policy would repay his friends. Sitting in jail. there would be NO chance to make any more $. Its a theory because he really does not seem to fit the profile of a sociopath.
he made sure that he will have access to the money & live well......he has gone somewhere to have facial reconstruction surgery ASAP, recover, and relocate to live a life of luxury......somewhere money doesn't talk and keeps secrets......South America......?
@@beamills9205 a plastic surgery and a life of luxury on $5000? you live in the clouds. there is no place on earth that cheap. the guy lost their money and tried to cover it up with pyramid scheme long enough to recover the original investment and when it all blew up he just left. with nothing. he is charged with fraud for $5000. he didn't steal millions but he did lost a lot of money on bad investments. that he kept quiet, because he couldn't bring himself to admit it, is his only moral crime and trying to cover it up with pyramid scheme, worth $5000, is his only legal crime.
but i guess you americans are used to frauds and can't imagine someone just being honest. he tried his best, failed and then went to die so his life insurance would cover the money he lost. but he didn't die and he could not kill himself because it would void the policy.
the guy just can't get a break.
Thanks for the upload - especially in HD ! I really feel for his friends/clients who trusted him. The pain of losing your retirement earnings must be so awful.
"Former Olympic rower Harold Backer received a 13-month jail sentence Wednesday after pleading guilty to fraud, but no answers were provided about his mysterious 18 month disappearance that sparked an international police search.
Backer, 55, wearing a grey pinstriped suit and red tie, did not say a word during his sentencing hearing, choosing to let his lawyer, Joven Narwal, speak to the court on his behalf."
So they found him?
@@83056 yeah, i think he turned himself in.
dont remember the article
The old guy is the only one taking self-responsibility
He turned himself in as soon as he realized he'd only be locked up for 13 months. I guess it beats 10 yrs, but you have to feel for the people who got scammed out of everything by a supposed "friend"
If you lend money to a friend, you'll loose both your money and your friend.
Ha! So untrue! It depends on who you are I guess... or what kind of a person you are. I’ve had friends I always loan and borrow from, they always repay as I always repay. We don’t have any worries about it.
Talis, I agree. I'll give money to a friend in need, if I can afford it, but I'll never lend it to them.
Your right, not always but many times.
"Neither a borrower nor a lender be..."
LOSE, not " loose" !!! Most common and most stupidest mistake people make. Poor education and low intelligence.
My grandmother used to have a sign up in her kitchen that read "It's better to be trusted, than loved" There's something to that...
I cannot imagine letting a friend manage my money, ever. The cardinal rule.
What this programme didn't dare explore is the pain of his family and children, God forbid, and how much they may/may not know.
His kids have nothing to do with this…
when an old nice Canadian Man says "I feel like I've been kicked in the balls" you know its bad
And the lesson once again is.... Never put all your eggs in one basket! Even if it's your bff, parent, spouse or child!!
Walking away from people you ripped off is one thing however walking away from your children is just downright selfish. This guy is despicable.
I believe, but could be wrong, that those are his stepchildren. Still not okay to do but definitely easier to do if you're so that way inclined.
Pamela Howard oh, didn't catch that. Heartless regardless.
beispielsweise weise Agreed. I did not realize they were his stepkids.
If they are his kids they are probably as nice as him and would rip him off.
Like father ,like son. He is obviously not a stupid man. Heheheheheh !
Sadly ppl will judge them by his actions
I never lend money. I give it when needed. And I even tell them it’s not a loan but a gift. No hard feelings. Except...
I have found that most of my family, that holds their hands out to me, unbelievably resent me. Because I have money that I worked for and they don’t. We grew up in the same circumstances. They work hard at not working at all. If only they would just put forth a small effort...
You are absolutely right about that .once you star to loaning money to family and friend ,they will soon turn against you
So the best lesson to learn here is to manage your money.
RAIN MAYHEM don't forget that the earth is flat too...👀
yep how could i forget
Yes Shalvin, provided you have sufficient knowledge, otherwise you could lose your money by your own mistakes.
Senior Rocker Yes exactly, it's just a general statement. If I were to be more specific I would say more people should learn to manage their own money, in reality that would be the best case scenario.
Senior Rocker Yes but at least then you only have yourself to blame.
Having been financially duped myself by a trusted friend, the ONLY thing you can do is accept the loss as if it were never there. Betrayal is something else though that canNOT be overcome.🌹
Just goes to show that priveleged, talented, highly intelligent, and educated people can have things go sideways too.....
FMHammyJ in my opinion, they are the most dangerous and wreak the most havoc in the lives of their friends and family...having been the victim of one of these type of individuals.
What makes him highly intelligent? He strikes me as someone with rather average intelligence. Sports doesn't require all that much intelligence unless you consider chess a sport.
Go sideways...you mean cause things to go sideways. Save your pity for someone who deserves it. This man was clearly of average intelligence and a thief.
@ready 2fly Not even close to what is required for any other highly competitive field. It's basic in comparison, requiring effort and planning but it's not about sitting around for hours, writing complex computer code for example.
@ready 2fly Not really, I've heard that argument before. Intelligence is intelligence and it's about solving complex problems. Timing in sports or knowing how to do a move is not intelligence.
financial incompetence gold medal
In the giving away $787,000
Class we have ........
I don't trust anyone, rich or poor, who's about money.
Don't trust anyone with your money, not even banks. That's why old people after the depression hid gold and cash all over the place lol.
This is 2020 - I'm hiding food and water!
@@gtw4546 it’s now 2021 and I’m still doing it…
I thought paying an investor with money from another investor is a ponzi scheme, not a pyramid scheme?
Glad that he has been found- must be a relief for his kids. A missing person would be the most stressful thing.
There are many stories like this and the lesson is always the same: do your own investing and trust as few people as possible (even the banks and the advisors they employ are not entirely trustworthy). In essence victims of these frauds want to make money without having to think and take personal responsibility for the outcomes. Unfortunately, there are no free lunches. So either do it yourself or buy GICS.
surprisedmike ㅐ
As Shakespeare put it, "Neither a borrower nor a lender be, for money doth often go south."
Bill didn't say that. A fictional character in a play of his said it.
Just another sociopath wearing a mask and trying to be perceived as a human being. They're everywhere.
Yes and he's left his wife and children behind in addition to the betrayal of friends.
I think I'm a sociopath. Is there a test I can take somewhere?
It's probably not the best idea to make a medical diagnosis on the basis of a 2nd rate documentary. There was no indication of violence, no red flags, no double life, no other betrayals. He was stable, he didn't rage or blame other people for his Olympic losses, he didn't overinflate his wins, and he was humble in his accomplishments. His family misses him. Doesn't sound like a sociopath to me. Sounds more like a mid-life crisis compounded by an embarrassing loss, in a small town where people have the attitude, "I just want my money back. I don't need him." . .
But there was a deception involved. Admittedly he's not a William Bradford Bishop type but it was upsetting to his victims all the same.
+Renee Brutvan LOL!!! You...just...did...literally the EXACT same thing that you're trying to chastise the OP for supposedly doing. So according to you it is not ok for the OP to "diagnose" him as a sociopath based on this documentary but...it is ok for YOU to diagnose him as NOT a sociopath and instead "normal"? If you dont see the sheer hypocrisy in that then you're even dumber than how your comment is making you out to be. Also,based on the things you've listed,it is clear that you have a pretty poor understanding of what a sociopath is. Hopefully this helps to compel you to research further and think prior to commenting ;) .
"One may smile and smile and be a villain"
-King Claudius
you have 770k already... why invest all? dumb move
I agree, that was dumb.....as the saying goes..... don't put all your eggs in one basket.
I thought the same thing. I would be able to live comfortably off that amount for the rest of my life, including leaving a good portion of it to my family.
nyssa1049 where do u live?
Honey Babie
Honey Babie i was wondering the same! if there 770 is enough to live the rest of my days and leave my family something sign me up!!
ahh the quiet ones, ahh the overly nice ones, ahh the smiley ones...
All of them hiding something.
Scary ☠️ the way you put it
Come on, not all people are bad, not all people are out to con you and take you for all you got. But because you never know who is... it might be best not to mix money and friendship. If a friend is real, true, honest... you don't have to lend him money to keep him as a friend. People need to learn "If you lose a friend for any favor they ask from you and you say NO" was never a friend in the first place. I sometimes wonder how nice the world could be if we were not all so obsessed with possessions... just try to imagine, if there was no money, no ownership of land and property, imagine... hmm... Imagine no possessions
I wonder if you can
No need for greed or hunger
A brotherhood of man
Imagine all the people
Sharing all the world... You...
You may say I'm a dreamer
But I'm not the only one
I hope someday you'll join us
And the world will live as one
Ahhh....men & amen
Right Deb,im 58 and i can spot the smooth talkin oily snakes in about 9 seconds.
wow... poor friends...
An update and interview would be nice. I know he turned himself in after 500 days on the run, pleaded guilty and sentenced to 13 months in prison. He should be out of jail by now
He turned himself in trial 2018
So nobody knows where he was for 18 months until he turned himself in?
In Denmark we had a similar story with a similar guy with a similar name Stein Bagger.
Same way of swindle.
He got off easy with a 13 month sentence, what a coward!
After OJ and Lance Armstrong and so many others when will we ever stop making athletes our heroes? They are simply people that are lucky or worked hard enough to do well at a sport? I prefer someone with a good heart that is kind to people and animals over someone that gets high score in their sport or game. Am I wrong?
Not wrong. Apply it to all kinds of "worshiped" people. RUclips is filled with highly accomplished folks who failed at morals and ethics 101.
My home...beautiful Vancouver Island
Yes Lynne N, Canada sure is a most beautiful place and you're in one of the best parts !!
Thank you! Just love Vancouver Island BC
Live on the island to, that's all I need .Fools with money like that and they want more , takes your chances folks
Yes @funsweed - you have just defined happiness. If you're content, you're happy. I live in Perth Western Australia and I love it here too.
Absolutely gorgeous! Looks like the kind of place they photograph for computer screen savers 😍
It should have been a tip-off to everyone that Harolds company was called- MY Financial Backer Corp...my??...my???..my???....hmmm
Another example of how somebody often held up as an example of excellence is actually not what they seem to be 🙌🙌🙌
I've always wondered why people take help for granted, but the biggest tell is people that are so good on the outside.
I don’t trust easily or quickly. I have been fooled and betrayed before. I have taught my 3 sons not to trust completely. Not even family. Don’t give anyone the opportunity to hurt you. Always be aware, always by careful. Watch your back.
Ms. Krueger - Having waited on the rich for over thirty years and heard countless stories of how they were ripped off I can vouch for the truth in your comment. It was always the people closest to them.
I’m only @10:16 or so, and we have his first coach, who has spoken of him so proudly, and he says, his first thought when told the guy was missing, was “and so is my money”. That’s very telling, if the coach is speaking truthfully. He didn’t worry his friend might be dead of a heart attack, out on a training row, or had a car accident not yet discovered. So on some level, he’d always had doubts, I think.
Well, he invested almost 1 million, and then his friend suddenly disappeared, so yeah I'd be pretty pissed too. And he even predicted it correctly, he said 'the only reason someone would disappear like that is money' and he was correct because he turned himself in a few years later
Have known Harold though school 20+ years and worked for him Harold, a proud person with a somewhat unusual, possibly misunderstood, yet functional means of expressing himself. he always appeared to maintained a high level of integrity in regards to his business and clients. he gave me an opportunity for which i am grateful to have been part of. As for Tony Carr I was never partial to as a person or teacher. Mr Prouse, on the other hand for which i have great respect, a man of exceptional integrity, and a driving force of education, I sense, must also realize this is not theft, but a "sequence of events" which caused the ride they chose to buy a ticket for to spiral out of control. I by no means could ever justify a captain jumping ship, leaving everyone to sink, an unthinkable and exceptionally irresponsible and a truly hurtful reality, but not fraud.
sometimes when faced with moments of despair a captain may not push all the right buttons. Often a persons options may become extremely limited, if you have no more fight, the only thing left is flight basic instinct. Bottom line, unfortunate.
Next time stay in bed.
my own father had a lot of saying and advice for me
1 thing he once told me as a young lad
was TRUST NOBODY IN LIFE EVEN YOUR OWN FATHER
andrew garland is your father Donald Trump?
Your father told yout the truth and had some honesty in him.
Former Olympic rower Harold Backer received a 13-month jail sentence Wednesday after pleading guilty to fraud, but no answers were provided about his mysterious 18 month disappearance that sparked an international police search. Backer disappeared on Nov. 3, 2015, when he failed to return home after telling his family he was going out for a bike ride. He surrendered to police in Victoria in April 2017 and his whereabouts while he was missing have never been explained.
Backer disappeared on Nov. 3, 2015, when he failed to return home after telling his family he was going out for a bike ride. He surrendered to police in Victoria in April 2017 and his whereabouts while he was missing have never been explained.
It doesn’t take a genius to move to another country and learn another language I did it twice.
It would’ve been impressive to see him do that without robbing his friends. How embarrassing then to leave three kids behind. WTH
Never, ever, ever, invest through a private financial investment advisor. Just don't do it. Actually, by reading just a few pretty simple books you can do it yourself. But if you absolutely can't, go to an advisor at a discount brokerage like Vanguard or Schwab or Fidelity. I'm saying this as a former Merrill Lynch VP. :)
It’s not even that difficult. I went to a workshop put on by a stockbroker which acquainted me with some basics. I haven’t made spectacular returns, but it does work out to between 6 and 7%
he stole money fm his friends and started a new life ....... no big surprise!
Elizabeth M he is in south America somewhere.
Wow, Backer's old coach and the other investor are classy men, I don't know that I would be as calm and level headed.
Neither would the Salamanca family
I used to worked with one of his daughters! And she literally told me that her parents are Olympians! WOW! and she popped out from the screen!!!
He turned himself in after being missing for 18 months and received a 13 month jail sentence for fraud.
13 months is nothing!!!! they need to start prosecuting white collar crimes adequately and give people sentences that are commensurate with the amount of damage they've done to other peoples' lives. the 2-3 year max sentences handed out now are hardly enough to deter people from committing these type of crimes. people often spend more time in prison just for drug possession!
Calling all psychopaths !!
perfection is dehumanizing ...
Nicely Put, sir
July 4, 2018
Harold Backer, former Olympic rower, sentenced to 13 months jail for fraud
The mysterious case of Harold Backer has taken another twist.
The former Olympic rower and investment dealer has been sentenced to 14 months in jail after pleading guilty to fraud. The sentence was reduced by a month based on time served while in custody. He was also ordered to serve three year probation term that will prohibit being involved in financial investment.
“The resolution in this case, a guilty plea to a single count of fraud in excess of $500, by pleading guilty the accused waves his right for an appeal,” said crown counsel spokesperson Dan McLaughlin. “The resolution of this case was arrived at after a full and careful consideration of all the charges.”
Backer had originally plead not guilty, but switched the plea on Wednesday morning in a Victoria courtroom to guilty on one charge of fraud over $5,000.
Backer stole 3 million dollars and was sentenced to 13 months jail and three years probation. Justice for his victims?
Where did the three million go? Did he invest it in something that wasn't worth it?
Never give anyone control over your money, period, I’ve known that since I was 12 and got my first job. Never do business with friends or family, known that since I was 16. Be suspicious of most and be slow to promise anything to anybody. This is sound advice handed down to this country boy from his folks.
I feel bad for the folks that trusted him....at the same time I expect their greed and laziness with their money allowed this to happen.
Do your homework, don’t invest in things you don’t understand or are above your mental level, but above all retain control of your resources.
💯 💯 💯 absolutely! Totally agree!
peoples faith in this man's 'intelligence' is touching, it's harder to fail an MBA than graduate, turn up, (pay the fees) and congratulations - that's education in the 21st century
How could he just walk away from his wife and kids even? Is it embarrassment? I wonder what this has done to his kids? All those ppl, some old, lost all their savings. How does a man live with himself?
He returned to the loving embrace of his family. He is challenging all the allegations against him. It's amazing what misplaced hero worship garners. A get out of jail free forever card. In fact, the guy is a jewel in Victoria's "tiara".
I live in Port Angeles.....it caused a stir!
1st rule of investing.....never invest more than you can afford to lose.
Dumbest myth ever.
2nd rule of investing: Guard against fear and greed - both extremes can ruin you.
Ok is it just me or does that one older guy sounds like piglet from winnie the pooh?!
hahahaha
Wow..$ 787,000.00 loss!!.. Never put all your eggs in ONE basket!!!
Story after story just adds to my cynicism. Shame on you Harold.
Listing to this with headphones, the poor host sounds like his lungs are about to give out :/
Update: he turned himself in to Canadian authorities!
Never loan money you can't afford to lose.
Oh no!
Not that voice!
That guy talks so weird that I didn't get what this video was about.
I can't focus.
Why do some reporters talk like this?
_I would just love to have my money back please! Just gimme my money back! I could even wish him good luck in his new life eventually whatever that may be, but don't come back and see me. Just send me the money._ Poor guys swindled by a conmen.
The nicest and deadliest way for his dearest friend to say the most despising things about him: "Give what you illegally took back by betraying your one and only friend with whom you had achieved great things with; but don't dare expect me to even acknowledge you should you come back in person".
Backer showed his real self here not even having the balls to confront his misdoings. All he knows to do is run away in denial.
check out the picture at 10:25...look in his eyes...there's. no. one. home.
I'm lost.. So did he lose the money or did he steal the money? They said no charges filed so that's my question. If he lost it then unfortunately nothing will happen. I think a thief is just as bad as a murderer.
I'm wondering as well. If he did lose it in the dot com crash he's not guilty of fraud. So many lost a lot and they didn't go to jail. Three investigations should have shown funneling and charges laid. He left in shame, not guilt. But he did say if fraud charges would bring the money back he would have them. Implying he had no money to give. No conclusion other than he's gone
There are two fundamentals lessons one should learn from this story
1. Never trust no one.
2. Never put all your eggs in one basket.
think we all have been burned one way or another..it is heart breaking, but most of all it destroys ones faith in mankind...Friend? few and trusted but with boundaries...
Paying old investors with money from new investors is a PONZI scheme...not a PYRAMID scheme. 😑
Sometimes it is cheaper to loan money to people knowing you won't hear from them again.
He turned himself in. He got 13 years for fraud...
13 month
“Golden boy”/Narcissist
Intelligence doesn’t always equal integrity...
I'm I the only one who thinks he looks like Russel Williams?
Dave ... yeah you are !
Sport and military are breeding grounds for the entitlement that comes with toxic masculinity.
@@ManiacalViolet feminist fatty
Not at first. But ,,, after a while, yes, I think it's the smile. Which, I guess, is something from the spirit of the person.
Oh and 7:44 yes quite a resemblance. Similar in terms of high functioning sociopaths too. And commanding.
Harold Backer had pleaded not guilty for fraud charges.
Oh boy.
Narrators voice is beyond irritating. Speak like a human.
Bob Mcgowan is a badass Journalist ! One of my favorite all time shows ! Been on a few years too , and it will hopefully be on for awhile yet ;) Paleeze dooo ! Love it ! #MyWeekendWatch
Put him in Jail!
This happens far more than people realize.A successful career in one area translates into success in finance with opm other peoples money.It happened to a close friend of mine from a all American con man.A professor at a university who had all the right trappings.A plane beautiful house and family.And supposedly a currency trader at the top of his game.All bullshit.Now he's doing twenty with Madoff.What a last name for a financial thief MADOfF that's exactly what they did made off with the money.
these people always target the senior citizens
Bit risky to do business with friends.
It does not sound like he stole the money. He lost it in bad investment decisions then tried to fix it by doing something illegal.
In today's world, with cameras everywhere, his story being told, his face plastered all over the internet media, especially a guy of his stature, exactly where could he stay nameless and faceless? This is really the case that you can run but you cant hide, no matter how smart you are. Harold Backer will be spotted somewhere, it's just a matter of time.
"If you cant trust friends who can you trust?" Trust no one with your money. Family and friends the least.
I only borrow money from my most pessimistic friends, because they never expected back!!
If only Harold would have invested 5% in Bitcoin!
I wish I can talk 2 this guy. The fact that he lived a very simple life and didn't live the high life makes me believe his litter and I would trust him again not like his coach, while I do understand the coach feeling,. Seemed to me a great guy that lacked the experience needed for such hard business. I might sound crazy but I believe that letter he left.
Moral of the story, dont put all your eggs in one basket even if it looks like gold, and especially if it acts like gold!
Backer turned himself in to Canadian police. The story just broke an hour ago.
It seems so crazy that we humans strive SO hard to row a boat so meticulously, as well as so many other athletic and other "goals" that don't have any real benefit to...well...anything at ALL!. I don't understand the "look what trick I can do better than anyone else" mentality. What, exactly is the point?
Vanity
Challenge
You’ve never played sports I take it. Discipline. Health. Adrenaline.
Susan Rademacher Yes because health is absolutely nothing. Occupying your mind, learning to focus through pain. Yeah nothing at all....
Tammy Antonishak looks like that failed miserably here....
No one ever really knows anybody.
I love the straight of Juan de Fuca. I Love Port Angeles!!!! it's so beautiful there!!! I want to move there!!! it's my dream town.
RUclips Name To me Port Angeles seems so depressed and gloomy, like Forks. Maybe it was just my impression during my visits but I couldn't wait to get home to Vancouver. My ex's mom lives in Port Angelas, hence our visits for a week or two at a time a few times per year.
Well now that he turned himself in i would love to see an interview....explaining everything
How much money was recovered if any, when he turned himself in.
He got 13 months for fraud.