B.C. men facing dozens of charges for ‘organized fraud factory,’ RCMP say

Among the items recovered were a pair of construction excavators and two industrial printers, police said. (Handout)

Mounties say four men are facing a total of 48 criminal charges following a nearly two-year investigation into an alleged organized theft and fraud ring in Metro Vancouver.

A statement Wednesday from the Burnaby RCMP says investigators with the detachment’s prolific-offender suppression team searched a property in Pitt Meadows, B.C., in April 2023, where they seized hundreds of items.

Among the items recovered were a pair of construction excavators allegedly purchased using a forged bank draft, and two industrial printers capable of producing driver’s licences and credit cards, police said.

The statement says officers also uncovered various signs that the property in the 17600 block of Kennedy Road “was being used as an organized fraud factory.”

In May 2023, the Burnaby RCMP detailed more of the items seized from the property, including computer hard drives, laser engravers, a vehicle identification number (VIN) plate stamping machine, and hundreds of blank credit and identification cards.

Investigators also confiscated blank bank draft paper, a handgun and ammunition, police said.

The RCMP says charges related to the case were approved last month against 50-year-old Joel Ellingson, 54-year-old Kelly Roberge, 33-year-old Wesley Lawson and 37-year-old Michael Ridley.

The charges include allegations of theft over $5,000, possession of stolen property, identity theft, tampering with a vehicle identification number, possession of identity fraud documents and falsifying credit cards.

“Identity theft and fraud can have serious and long-lasting impacts on victims,” Cpl. Mike Kalanj said in the statement.

“We believe disrupting and dismantling this operation likely prevented additional people from becoming victims.”