A man who stole another man’s identification documents, and racked up thousands of dollars on credit cards and stole money from a bank account was jailed on Wednesday.
David Allen MacMullin, 29, originally from Nova Scotia, pleaded guilty to 16 charges of fraud, possession of stolen property and obstruction when he appeared in Red Deer provincial court.
MacMullin, who has spent a week in custody, was jailed for six months by Judge John Holmes for the crimes.
Holmes heard that MacMullin stole a man’s identification in early October and started a long list of frauds and theft.
Crown prosecutor Murray MacPherson said the accused was arrested by Red Deer RCMP at a traffic stop in on Oct. 19.
MacMullin used the stolen identification to obtain various goods, open bank accounts and apply for bank loans.
At the time of his arrest, he had two stolen wallets in his possession.
At one point, the accused withdrew $1,400 from the victim’s bank account.
He also used the ID to rent a room at a motel.
MacMullin was able to open at least three credit cards at various stores and purchased goods that were then sold to pawn shops for cash.
He also made several other bank withdrawals, stealing between $300 to $500 each time.
He also defrauded a local car dealership of $40,000 on a vehicle on Oct. 8.
MacMullin opened three cellphone accounts at various places, racking up bills of between $85 to about $275 each time.
Holmes said it was apparent from a victim impact statement that the victim’s life was turned upside down by the thefts.
The judge said the victim has been forced to deal with at least 12 agencies in an attempt to clear up the mess.
In addition, the pawn shop owners are out of pocket for the crimes.
“He (MacMullin) digs his own hole and crawls into it,” Holmes said.
“How did he think he would get away with it?” Holmes asked.
“Identification theft is a terrible thing. It can cause an avalanche of problems for all the victims,” the judge added.
Defence lawyer Paul Morigeau said his client was an injured oilfield worker who ended up addicted to drugs and fell into crime to support his habit.
jwilson@www.reddeeradvocate.com