Quebec most wanted fugitive arrested for role in Desjardins data breach

Maxime Paquette, one of Quebec's most wanted fugitives, has been arrested. (SQ)

Quebec provincial police (SQ) and Mexican authorities have arrested one of the province’s most wanted fugitives in Cancun.

The SQ said that Maxime Paquette has been wanted since June 2024 in connection with the Desjardins data leak.

He was arrested as part of the Portier case and is facing charges for possession and trafficking of identifying information, fraud over $5,000 and identity theft.

Paquette will remain in custody in Mexico, awaiting extradition.

The SQ said he had Desjardins’ clients’ information in his possession during the 2019 breach.

“He also sold identifying information from the stolen Desjardins lists to several individuals and on the ‘Dark Web,’” the SQ said.

His arrest comes after Juan Pablo Serrano was arrested in Spain in January.

The Portier case investigated the 2019 breach involving close to 9.7 million Canadian and international Desjardins clients.

The breach occurred over more than two years before the financial institution became aware of it, according to a 2020 report from the Canada Privacy Commissioner and the Quebec Information Access Commission.

The investigation found that Desjardins was aware of the security weaknesses that led to the breach but failed to address them in time.

The financial group only became aware of the breach after being notified by the police.