North Vancouver RCMP have arrested and charged a man who ran a program that claimed to return stolen bikes back to their rightful owners.
Gordon Sinclaire Blackwell, 41, has been charged with 36 counts of possession of stolen property and one count of theft. He was arrested in Surrey.
The investigation began last summer following a rash of bicycle thefts, North Vancouver RCMP said in a press release.
On Nov. 14, police served a search warrant at Blackwell's business in New Westminster where 153 bicycles were seized.
Blackwell, who has a criminal record for fraud in Ontario, was handed a cease and desist order by New Westminster bylaw officers in June, after the city learned he did not have a business permit to operate the business.
Blackwell claims to scour the Internet for "too good to be true bike deals," and then purchases them back from thieves.
He claims to try to reunite the bikes with their original owners but resells them when he can't find them.
Several people have discovered him selling their stolen bikes from his warehouse.
On Wednesday, Blackwell's website, www.bikerescue.org, was still up and claimed to have returned 256 bikes.
RCMP say they have been able to return close to 40 bicycles to their rightful owners.
Police say if you had a bike stolen from 2008 to the present, you can email them at nvstolenbikes@rcmp-grc.gc.ca. Police ask that you provide the make, model, colour, components, accessories, unique markings and, if possible, a photograph of the bicycle.
