Arrested suspects linked to over 100 Quebec thefts and frauds, Gatineau police say

Published Dec 14, 2023 • Last updated 9 hours ago • 1 minute read

A Gatineau Police Service crest. Photo by Gatineau Police Service /HANDOUT

A man and a woman both from Montreal and Laval, Que., now face charges in connection with more than 100 thefts and frauds committed across Quebec, Gatineau police announced Thursday.

The 32-year-old man and 30-year-old woman were arrested in late January and charged then in connection with what Gatineau police said were more than 30 associated cases in Quebec and Ontario.

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An investigation dated back to mid-August 2022 into allegations of fraud affecting about 30 Gatineau-area residents totalling several hundred thousand dollars, a January news release said following searches by police from Gatineau, Laval, Montreal, MRC des Collines-de-l’Outaouais and the Sûreté du Québec and the arrests of the two suspects.

The investigation continued and resulted in a “multitude” of additional charges against the duo, Gatineau police said Thursday.

A news release said the investigation had involved police from: Laval; Montreal; Sûreté du Québec; MRC des Collines-de-l’Outaouais; Quebec City; Richelieu St-Laurent; Saint-Jean-sur-Richelieu; Blainville; Repentigny; Châteauguay; Trois-Rivières; Saguenay; Thérèse-De Blainville; Mascouche; Cornwall; and Canada Revenue Agency.

On Aug. 25, 2022, Gatineau police requested public assistance in identifying a suspect who had committed thefts at the Branchaud-Brière Recreation Complex in the Gatineau sector and the Paul-Pelletier Aquatic Centre in Aylmer.

Subsequently, police received other complaints concerning thefts at those locations and at other Gatineau sports facilities.

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Police said the woman would drive a vehicle to the sports centres, where the man entered the buildings and stole property from others in the change rooms, including wallets, identity and bank cards, cellphones, car keys and jewelry.

The duo would then use the stolen cards and identification to make fraudulent purchases and bank-account withdrawals.

People facing criminal charges are presumed innocent until proven guilty. It’s our policy not to name those charged unless we plan to follow the case through the justice system or it’s of significant public interest to identify them.