Judge notes 'suspicious' timing of handgun theft after police asked for pictures

An Ontario manicurist authorities believe to be a “straw purchaser” of handguns reported that her safe full of weapons, silver bars and cash was burgled the day after the province’s chief firearms officer requested photos of the arsenal. Chi Do was convicted in Ontario’s Superior Court of Justice on three counts of transferring a firearm knowing that she was unauthorized to do so, 12 counts of possession of a firearm for the purpose of trafficking, and one count of public mischief, with the intent to mislead, by reporting she’d been robbed by a boyfriend whose last name she couldn’t remember. “I find the timing of the report of theft to be suspicious,” Justice Judy Fowler Byrne wrote in a recent decision. “The report of a theft came on the very day that she was supposed to provide evidence that she had possession of the fifteen firearms. While viewed alone, it may make sense, but considered with the other evidence, it appears to be the only option open to Ms. Do who needed a reasonable explanation as to why her firearms were missing. Viewing this theft report in light of all the evidence, Ms. Do was motivated to fabricate a story about being robbed.”

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Do was “flagged as a high-volume purchaser” by the province’s chief firearms office after buying four handguns within four days. When an officer with the outfit started to investigate, “he learned that Ms. Do had 15 handguns and one long gun registered to her,” the judge wrote in a decision dated May 16. The officer contacted Do on Valentines Day of 2022. “He wanted assurances that all of the firearms were still in her possession. Ms. Do assured him that all of her firearms were safely stored in her safe at her home.” The officer asked her to take photos of the guns stored at her home. “Ms. Do said she was rushed and on her way to work, but promised to email him the photos of all 16 firearms later that day. The officer later learned “that she had reported the theft of the guns (to Peel Regional Police) early in the morning on February 15, 2022,” said the decision. “She told the police that she had just got home from work and went into her safe to take photos of the firearms for the firearms officer, when she discovered that her firearms, ammunition, ($5,000 in cash she was saving up for her brother’s birthday), and silver bars were missing. All of her firearms were missing except for two long guns.” Do told investigators that she’d been in her safe a few weeks earlier and all her guns were there at the time, said the decision. “The only person she believed could have committed the theft was a man she was having an affair with (for a year and a half) and who she had just broke up with. His name was Alex. He was a Sri Lankan man, who she met in Barrie. His last name was too long for her to remember. She believed Alex knew where she kept the key to her safe. She had deleted any contact information for him after the breakup. She did not have camera surveillance.” Do lived in the basement of her parents’ home. Her safe, hidden in the back of her closet, was opened when police arrived, said the decision. “It showed no visual signs of damage. She still had one shot gun and one long gun, and some empty firearm cases.” Do told investigators “that she liked to collect guns,” said the decision. “She explained that she had a lot of the same type of guns because she wanted to gift some to her husband when he got his (possession and acquisition licence).” Police didn’t see any “signs of forced entry” at the home and the only windows in the basement where Do lived were too small for anyone to fit through, said the decision. “When asked what she liked about the firearms, she said she liked that they ‘go pow,’ and she liked the loud noise. She stated that she has not shot any of her guns, but she wanted a collection. She planned to eventually go to a range and fire them.” A few weeks later, Peel Regional Police learned that on Nov. 18, 2021, the Hamilton Police Service searched a home in Scarborough and found 11 firearms in a safe. “This was three months before Ms. Do reported the theft of her firearms,” said the decision. Several of the guns had their serial numbers filed off, but police were able to identify three of them as registered to Do. On May 13, 2022, an officer with the specialized enforcement bureau, which focuses on major drug investigations, gangs and firearms, got involved. “He was advised of the reported theft from Ms. Do’s apartment, the number of guns that she had and how three of them were recovered prior to the reported theft,” said the decision. “There were suspicions that she was ‘straw purchaser’ — someone who purchases firearms legally, but then provides them illegally to others.” In an interview with investigators, when asked why she had so many firearms, Do “said that she likes to practice target shooting. She purchased three Glock 19’s because she was going to give one to her husband and the other for her 13-year-old son, when he got older. She wanted to purchase her firearms then in case the government banned them all later.” In 2020 and 2021, Do worked in a nail salon in Barrie and at the Marriot Hotel in Toronto. “In total, Ms. Do declared gross earnings of $60,742 over 2020 and 2021. During the same period, she spent $12,678.46 on a combination of restricted and unrestricted weapons, and ammunition,” said the judge. “In January 2022, she paid for an (additional five) firearms, which totalled $3,410.31. From this, I can infer that she spent approximately one-third of her net income from 2020 to early 2022 on firearm purchases.” Do “testified that she was able to afford the firearms because she didn’t have many expenses,” said the decision. She claimed to have a problem with “impulse purchasing.” Do never made an insurance claim for the missing cash or silver bars she said were stolen with her guns. “I do not accept Ms. Do’s evidence that she was robbed of her firearms,” Fowler Byrne said. “Nor does her evidence leave me with a reasonable doubt about any of the elements of the offences.” Our website is the place for the latest breaking news, exclusive scoops, longreads and provocative commentary. 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