A 28 year-old Regina male is facing dozens of charges of identity theft and possession of identity documents, after ongoing investigation into the discovery of many pieces of identification, cheques, and other personal documents belonging to more than 130 different people.
The new charges stem from an investigation that began on August 18, 2019. In the original arrest, police were dispatched to a parked vehicle in the 1100 block of Devonshire Drive that was running, but it appeared the driver was passed out behind the wheel. The male was identified by police and taken into custody without incident. A search of the vehicle found numerous break and enter tools, many pairs of gloves, miscellaneous house keys, and a balaclava. There was also a computer bag that contained I-D card, drivers licenses, passports, cheques and other personal documents, none in the name of the suspect. The initial charges against the 28 year-old male included: Possession of Break-In instruments [351(1) CC]; Breach of Probation [733.1(1) CC]; Possession of a Weapon (knife) [88 CC]; and Carrying a Concealed Weapon [90 CC]. He made a first court appearance on these charges on August 19th.
Members of the Commercial Crime Unit continued with investigation into the contents of the laptop bag seized on August 18th. Their investigation revealed that there were identification documents belonging to 131 individuals, alleged to be in the possession of the accused. Of those 131 victims, there were 40 people from whom there had been multiple pieces of identification gathered. Investigators laid an identity theft charge for each of these 40 victims, plus a single, global charge that covers the alleged possession of identity documents of the other 91 victims.
Twenty-eight year-old Justin Theodore PELLETIER, of Regina, is charged with forty (40) charges of Identity Theft [402.2(1) CC]; and one charge of Possession of Identification Documents [56.1(1) CC]. PELLETIER made his first court appearance on these new charges in Provincial Court at 2:00 p.m., Monday, September 9, 2019.