A Mexican court has issued arrest warrants for a British man, Harry Robinson, and a Mexican woman, Jacqueline Herrera Herrera, accused of defrauding a Canadian couple of their retirement savings in an alleged condo-flip scheme, as per information obtained by CBC News. The warrants were issued by a Quintana Roo state court judge in late July. Robinson and Herrera are currently seeking to challenge these warrants in a Mexican federal court, yet this process will not affect the ongoing criminal case against them at the state level.

The state prosecutor’s office has accused Robinson and Herrera of committing fraud through deception. Cindy Thompson and Glenn Brown, residents of Curve Lake, Ontario, sent $280,000 to a company co-owned by Robinson and Herrera, who promised significant returns on a condo investment in Playa del Carmen that never materialized. Thompson expressed ongoing concern about the situation, stating that the uncertainty of what will happen next is a constant worry for her.

Quintana Roo, known for being a popular destination for Canadian vacationers and investors and home to Cancun and Tulum, was where Thompson and Brown filed a criminal complaint against Robinson and Herrera earlier this year. Their involvement with the accused dates back to late 2024 when Thompson, exploring real estate opportunities in Mexico, discovered XMEX Investments, a company owned by Robinson. She sent $170,000 in two installments for a condo but did not receive the keys. Subsequently, Robinson persuaded Thompson to invest an additional $110,000, along with funds from Brown, in a deal involving seven condos, promising significant profits.

However, the money invested by Thompson and Brown disappeared. A federal court judge recently granted a stay on the arrest warrant against Herrera on August 27, while efforts to have it revoked are ongoing. A hearing regarding Robinson’s application is scheduled for September 8 in Cancun. Amid the legal proceedings, Herrera has accused Robinson of misappropriating some of the funds, whereas Robinson has filed a complaint alleging that Herrera embezzled all the money.

Despite the complex nature of the Mexican legal system and the challenges associated with the case, Thompson remains cautiously optimistic, although she admits to feeling anxious about the situation. She declined cash settlement offers from Herrera and rejected a commercial property in Cancun, emphasizing that she will not engage in any further dealings with Herrera.

Both Robinson’s lawyer in Cancun and the state deputy prosecutor leading the case did not respond to requests for comments. Herrera, through another legal representative, attempted to settle with Thompson for approximately $188,000 and offered a commercial property valued at around $328,000, which were both declined by Thompson, who remains wary of future dealings. Thompson finds it frustrating to navigate the intricacies of the Mexican legal system from a distance, expressing a mix of hopefulness and anxiety about the outcome.