Category: Covert Action 2014 - 2019.
In July, 2023 the Canadian government charged William (Bill) Majcher, a retired Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) officer, with two counts under the Security of Information Act: 1. preparatory acts for the benefit of a foreign entity and 2. conspiracy.
In the fall of 2021, the RCMP’s Integrated National Security Team began investigating Majcher’s "suspicious activities". The investigation examined alleged incidents taking place between 2014 and 2019. According to the RCMP, Majcher allegedly helped the government of China "identify and intimidate" an individual in Canada and "allegedly used his knowledge and his extensive network of contacts in Canada to obtain intelligence or services to benefit the People's Republic of China."
Much of Majcher's 22-year career with the RCMP was spent working undercover on drug and financial criminal cases until his abrupt retirement in 2006 following an internal investigation that resulted in his suspension and removal as head of the Integrated Mission Task Force. Since his retirement, Majcher moved to Hong Kong where he has been working as a risk assessment adviser for the investment banking sector, according to his now deleted Linkedin profile.
Majcher founded a corporate risk firm in 2016 named Evaluate Monitor Investigate Deter Recover. In public interviews, Majcher described himself and his company as an economic mercenary and helping China and its corporations to recover allegedly stolen assets. He also noted the necessity for the claim to be valid and his actions to be legal and proper. The now deleted company's website states they specialized in asset recovery and lists state-sponsored espionage, intelligence gathering and money laundering as some of its areas of expertise.
The Canadian courts granted Majcher bail on a $50,000 bond. Two sureties have also agreed to pay $200,000 as a guarantee that Majcher respects his conditions. His release was granted on the conditions that he reside in Vancouver, report to RCMP every week, surrender his passport, and not communicate with two named individuals – Ross Gaffney and Kenneth Ingram Marsh.
Ross Gaffney is a retired (2003) FBI supervisory special agent. He has been described as Majcher’s mentor. Majcher and Gaffney worked together on the Operation Bermuda Short sting, which climaxed in 2002 which led to the conviction of Vancouver lawyer Martin Chambers for money laundering. Marsh is a retired RCMP officer and served with Majcher as well as having business dealings with him after both officers retired. Marsh is a British Columbia based private investigator named in court documents as a co-conspirator in the allegations against Majcher. However, Marsh has not been formally charged.
Tradecraft
To date, no information has come out in court proceedings that identifies espionage tradecraft. Majcher has been quite public about his employment and activities, asserting that they are all "legal and proper". He hosted a podcast and frequently appeared in the media discussing the subject. It is noteworthy that a judge forbade him to communicate with Marsh and Gaffney, perhaps indicating a conspiracy that has not yet been made public.
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