Man with alleged Russian mafia ties pleads guilty to fraud charges in Saskatoon court

Saskatoon Provincial Court is pictured in this file photo. (Chad Hills/CTV Saskatoon)

A man with alleged ties to a Russian organized crime group pleaded guilty to several fraud charges in Saskatoon Provincial Court this week.

Georgian national Alexander Alexidze, 49, was arrested in May 2023 in an apartment in Saskatoon’s Fairhaven neighbourhood. Saskatoon police said officers seized multiple false and forged documents in a search of the apartment executed after his arrest.

On Tuesday, Alexidze entered a guilty plea in provincial court.

His defence lawyer Gregory Curtis says he pleaded guilty to theft of groceries, possession of another person’s identity documents, possession of stolen credit cards, possession of a vehicle knowing it was obtained by the commission of a criminal offence, and possession of a citizenship card for a fraudulent purpose.

Alexidze also pleaded guilty to defrauding Saskatchewan Social Services and Health in an amount exceeding $5,000.

His sentencing is scheduled for April 1.

Alexidze has faced similar charges in the past.

In 2015, he was arrested in Cleveland and convicted of visa fraud. He served nine months in prison before being deported by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) to face multiple identity theft and fraud charges in Alberta, Manitoba, and Ontario, according to an ICE news release.

ICE described Alexidze as a “documented Russian mafia associate” who was deported to Canada to face charges for crimes allegedly committed between 2013 and 2015, some under the alias Alex Row.

"ICE confirmed his true identity with Canadian authorities using photos and biometric data," the agency said.

Curtis said he couldn’t comment on whether there were outstanding charges in other jurisdictions as he didn’t have “firsthand confirmation.”