Second former Mountie named 'co-conspirator' in Chinese interference case, few details emerge

Another ex-RCMP officer has been named in an alleged case of foreign interference, though no charges have been laid against him as of writing.

Though few details on the case have been disclosed publicly, Kenneth Ingram Marsh has been named a co-conspirator in the allegations along with former Mountie William "Bill" Majcher.

According to an RCMP spokesperson, Majcher, 60, allegedly used his knowledge and extensive network of contacts in Canada to obtain intelligence or services to benefit the People's Republic of China.

On Friday, the federal police service alleged Majcher "contributed to the Chinese government's efforts to identify and intimidate an individual outside the scope of Canadian law."

The former Mountie faces two counts of breaching the Security of Information Act, but they have yet to be tested in court.

The name of the alleged target of the intimidation operation is not yet known. 

When Global News inquired about the charges and Marsh's supposed involvement, Cpl. Tasha Adams only confirmed they laid charges on July 20 concerning this file. "We currently cannot disclose any details regarding other subjects." 

However, Adams confirmed on Friday that neither charge stems from concerns regarding the 2019 or 2021 federal elections or politics.

According to Marsh's memoir, he worked with Majcher multiple times following their departure from the RCMP, referring to him as his "Mountie friend."

The allegations against Majcher stem from 2014 to 2019. Majcher retired from the RCMP in 2007, while Marsh retired in 1999.

According to Majcher's LinkedIn page, he worked on several money laundering investigations as a covert operator when in service for the RCMP. He relocated to Hong Kong in 2006 to pursue private sector opportunities.

Marsh, also known as Kim Marsh, formerly served as the commander of an RCMP international organized crime unit during his time with the force and is now employed as a private investigator.

Global contacted him for comment on the matter, but he declined. "I'm sorry, I can't talk to you. You must understand that I'm unable to talk. Thank you." 

The RCMP launched an investigation into Majcher's "suspicious activities" in the fall of 2021, headed by their Integrated National Security Team (INSET).

INSETs are multi-agency teams scattered across the country — sometimes made up of RCMP officers, provincial and municipal police service members and federal agency representatives — investigating cases concerning national security, extremism and terrorism.

"Both of these acts were, in our perspective, committed to contributing to the Chinese government's efforts to identify and intimidate an individual," said Insp. David Beaudoin, with the RCMP's INSET. 

In 2006, Majcher started work as a risk assessment adviser in the investment banking sector, founding the corporate risk firm called EMIDR in 2016. 

EMIDR specializes in state-sponsored espionage, intelligence gathering and money laundering, specializing in asset recovery.

In 2019, ABC reported that the former RCMP officer worked on Project Dragon, a Chinese operation tasked with recovering money allegedly siphoned out of the country illegally.

Majcher called himself a "hired gun" for governments and corporations to "get back what is rightfully theirs." Specifically for Project Dragon, he worked for a third-party "entity" associated with Chinese police "in some form or another."

Marsh worked with his "Mountie friend" on an "enjoyable caper" tracking down a Canadian's assets in Costa Rica and acknowledged that Majcher worked for a financial firm in Hong Kong.

Marsh's memoir said he and Majcher worked another "caper" together in 2013 while the former hunted down funds smuggled from Libya by the family of former dictator General Muammar Gaddafi.

"Fortuitously, Majcher had been dealing with an Ivory Coast national on a deal…This was the perfect scenario, as Majcher would need a visa, which his business associate would facilitate," he wrote.

"While there, Majcher would be my second set of eyes and ears."

Speaking last week to The Bureau, Marsh alluded to the case against Majcher on Chinese interference.

"I think that the focus of the investigation is to stop and investigate what the Chinese are doing here… [Undoubtedly], they are coercing Chinese nationals who are here either as citizens or permanent residents. And they have, along the way, been assisted by private investigators," he said.

"I believe, and others who have access to sensitive information, believe that's the focus of the investigation. And somehow I've been lumped into this…which is pretty frustrating."

"I think if Canadians knew the whole story, they would be aghast," concluded Marsh.

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