A Red Deer man already facing more than two dozen fraud-related charges now has five new charges to contend with.
Lesley Jerry Billett, 45, reserved his plea on the new charges and 26 previous charges through his lawyer in Red Deer provincial court on Wednesday.
Billett returns to court on Aug. 29 to enter a plea. He wasn’t present in court on Wednesday.
Court heard more than a month ago that Billett was intending to resolve his charges this week, but that has changed now with the new information.
RCMP said earlier they executed a search warrant in early April following a lengthy investigation. Billett faces 18 charges of fraud valued at more than $5,000 each, eight counts of fraud valued at less than $5,000 each, one count of fraudulent use of a credit card, three counts of uttering a forged document and one theft charge.
Police said earlier it’s alleged a man offered shredding equipment for sale to victims.
It’s alleged the victims provided money to the accused as either deposits or as the purchase price for equipment that was never delivered.
The accused is also alleged to have used the credit card information of one victim to make local purchases.
It’s also alleged the accused forged documents to solicit funding for a business venture.
The charges contend the accused defrauded victims from Alberta, British Columbia and the United States of more than $150,000.