A man facing more than 30 charges — 19 for theft over $5,000 — pleaded not guilty in St. Albert Provincial court on Monday.
Miya Cunningham, agent for defence counsel for David A. Ibrahim, entered the plea for Alain Damen, 33, on Nov. 7. A trial date was set for April 28, 2023.
Damen faces five counts of fraudulent concealment and seven counts of altering or removing a vehicle identification number (VIN).
As reported by the Gazette, Damen turned himself in on Aug. 4 after the Edmonton Police Service (EPS) recovered 19 stolen vehicles from a warehouse in St. Albert.
According to a press release, on May 12 the EPS Targeted Response to Auto Theft Prevention (TRAP) team were investigating the theft of a 2022 Ford Expedition.
The last known GPS location of the vehicle led TRAP to an address in St. Albert. During the investigation at the location, TRAP saw several vehicles within a fenced compound.
TRAP, along with the RCMP Auto Theft Unit and Équité Association, executed a search warrant on May 13. Police allege they found 19 stolen vehicles — some of which had falsified VINs — and additional false VIN labels were also seized.
A pre-trial conference for Damen will be held on Dec. 6