39 charges against Chilliwack man months after police warn seniors of charming conman

VANCOUVER -- A Chilliwack man has had 39 charges approved against him in connection to alleged thefts and fraud targeting Lower Mainland seniors. 

According to North Vancouver RCMP and West Vancouver Police, Donald Robert Quinnell, 52, was arrested by Vancouver officers on Sept. 12 for an unrelated Canada-wide warrant. He has been in custody since. 

"North Vancouver RCMP had issued public alerts about Mr. Quinnell in September of 2019, both in an effort to further the police investigation, and as a warning to the public, in particular for seniors," said Sgt. Peter DeVries of the North Vancouver RCMP in a news release. 

"We worked in partnership with West Vancouver Police Department, Vancouver Police Department, and other agencies across the Lower Mainland and Fraser Valley to capture Mr. Quinnell, and to protect seniors in our communities." 

In September, authorities warned that victims were allegedly being approached by a "well dressed, well mannered" man in his 40s or 50s who sometimes offered to help them carry groceries. In other cases, he would pretend to be locked out of his car and ask the seniors for help.

"Sometimes he plays the victim and other times the saviour," DeVries said at the time. 

"He convinces his victims to either give or receive kindness, which seems a very lovely thing. But then he uses their goodness as a distraction so he can steal their belongings. He gains trust so that he can betray it. It’s manipulative and deplorable."

Police later identified Quinnell as the suspect in those alleged incidents.

Of the 39 charges laid against him, nine are for wallet and credit card thefts. Police say the other 30 are from allegations of fraud committed while using those stolen credit cards. 

"This is a great example of good communication, teamwork, and collaborative policing between agencies," said Const. Kevin Goodmurphy of the West Vancouver Police Department in a news release. 

"Serial criminals don't care about jurisdiction boundaries. For this very reason, we work closely with police services throughout the Lower Mainland."