By Ian Holmes

Man forced to repay Nanaimo furniture store after fraud conviction

Jan 9, 2019 | 3:29 PM

NANAIMO — A middle-aged man with no prior criminal history was sentenced to six months in jail for numerous crimes, including ripping off a Nanaimo furniture store.

Roger Ian Der, 38, was convicted in provincial court in Nanaimo after he admitted to three charges and seven total counts during a joint submission between Crown counsel and the defence.

Der will serve 33 additional days behind bars on weekends at the Nanaimo Correctional Centre as he was credited for time served prior to being sentenced for fraud, drug and driving offences.

In late June 2018 court was told Der used a fraudulent credit card to buy a little over $11,000 worth of furniture from a Bowen Rd. business.

Der was ordered to pay back the furniture store the entire amount within six months.

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In August, Der attempted to buy several thousand dollars worth of furniture from a north Nanaimo store, but an employee became suspicious when what turned out to be a fraudulent credit card was used. An RCMP officer was called and Der was arrested as he waited in the store for the transaction to clear.

Court also heard Der was pulled over for driving erratically on the Trans Canada Hwy. near Ladysmith in late July 2018. In the truck a Mountie found suspected crystal meth, heroin and drug paraphernalia. Also seized were a large amount of stolen credit cards, ID, mail and personal information with addresses all over the province.

Der’s truck was searched with the use of a warrant since he was a prohibited driver.

Crown prosecutor Jackie Gaudet called Der’s crimes significant.

“In particular the file where he had so much property in other people’s names…It’s a file that the Crown and courts take very seriously,” Gaudet said.

Peter Hertzberg, Der’s lawyer, said his client is a roofer with no prior run-ins with the law.

Hertzberg said most of Der’s behaviour was because he was extorted by somebody. Hertzberg, referencing the presence of NanaimoNewsNOW, witheld further details to protect Der from possible retribution.

Der sat silently in the prisoner’s box throughout his 45-minute hearing and elected not to address Judge Douglas Cowling.

In addition to jail time, Der was handed a one-year probation term with numerous conditions, including counseling.

Der is also banned from driving for one-year upon his release.

ian@nanaimonewsnow.com

On Twitter: @reporterholmes