Ottawa man accused of selling stolen laptops online pleads guilty to 6 counts, ordered to pay more than $26K

An arm patch is seen on an Ottawa Police Service officer during a news conference, in Ottawa, Wednesday, Sept. 6, 2023. (THE CANADIAN PRESS/Adrian Wyld/File)

A 31-year-old Ottawa man has pleaded guilty to six charges following allegations of selling stolen laptops on online marketplaces like Kijiji.

Ottawa police say they launched an investigation in 2023 after receiving a complaint from a person who purchased a new laptop through an online platform.

"The unsuspecting purchaser later discovered it was a stolen item when he contacted the manufacturer for warranty work," police said in a statement.

"Investigation revealed the seller fraudulently acquired numerous laptops from manufacturers and sold them as new through an online platform to other unsuspecting buyers."

Khaled Hawari was charged with several charges, including fraud exceeding $5,000, trafficking in property obtained by crime and public mischief in 2023.

According to court documents, Hawari pleaded guilty on March 8, 2024 to six counts of obtaining property by false pretenses under $5,000.

He was sentenced for six months of community service and 18 months of probation. He was also asked to pay $26,747 to Razer USA Ltd., which is an American company. The court document did not specify a timeline to make the payment.