A Comox Valley man is sharing the part he played in helping solve a decades-old mystery.
More than twenty years ago, Joe Chatlain began receiving unusual faxes at the Lafarge Construction Materials offices in Courtenay, B.C.
He had a hunch, and followed it.
Collecting and filing each letter, the he said they became clues in developing a profile of a con-artist dubbed the “Highwayman.”
“I had all of his habits, what he smoked, where he went, how he travelled what he wore. He always pulled a little suitcase along the highway with him.”
The man would travel western America, meeting people along the way who were quick to open their hearts and wallets.
His story: He was a Canadian businessman who was trying to get back home to Sidney, B.C., after being assaulted and robbed.
But when his victims tried contacting him for repayment, it turned out the contact number they’d been given was for Chatlain. He said their stories are what made him take action.
“This fellow has no remorse whatsoever, he’s taken advantage of the goodwill of people. So, I made it my quest for justice to capture this fellow,” he told Global News.
He began to nail down the man’s whereabouts. At the same time, he contacted victims and explained the situation.
Terry Churcill was one of them, who happened to come across the man once again in April of 2000. Officials were called, and finally 59 year-old Joszef Rezsofi was arrested.
He pleaded guilty in federal court to a Samaritan scheme of wire fraud and was deported back to Hungary.
Records showed he obtained nearly $5,000. Chatlain said, that’s not even close.
“We figure it was probably hundreds of thousands, because I only got a small amount of faxes. He had been on the highway for 30 years.”
Chatlain has since been recognized by the state of Montana for his role in solving the case. He has now also written a book about it, but he’s not convinced the story is over.
“There are many, many more are out there,” he said.
“Maybe one day I will get a fax or an email, saying, ‘Hey, he got me – but thank you muchly for doing what you did.'”