Date: Monday, October 17, 2022
File: 22-39529
Victoria, BC – A Victoria man was arrested and faces eight recommended charges after being recognized from a previous Community Update about an ongoing fraud investigation – while he was allegedly committing another fraud.
Officers were called by a person renting out a suite in a multi-unit residential building in the 600-block of Toronto Street on Saturday. There, they spoke with the victim who had recently rented a suite to a man who refused to pay rent after recently moving in. The victim told officers that when they spoke with the man about the unpaid rent, the man told them not to call police and made concerning statements about what would happen if police were called. The victim recognized the man from a previous VicPD Community Update about a man who had been arrested after committing a series of sophisticated property crimes and called police.
Upon reviewing the surveillance footage, officers confirmed that the suspect was the same man.
Officers attended the suite and arrested the man. During that arrest, officers located identity and banking documents belonging to several other people as well as evidence of additional, continuing rental frauds similar to those for which the suspect had been previously arrested.
The man was transported to VicPD cells. He faces eight recommended charges including charges for fraud under $5000, use of a forged document, forgery of a passport and five charges for failure to comply with probation conditions.
He was held for morning court.
This series of incidents remain under investigation as officers are concerned there may be additional victims who have yet to come forward. If you have information and have yet to speak with officers, please call the VicPD Report Desk at (250) 995-7654 extension 1.
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