https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/ottawa/vexatious-litigant-behind-bars-following-fraud-arrest-1.6927287
Althea Reyes is known to use aliases and faces 20 charges
An Ottawa woman charged this week with multiple fraud-related offences is known for using multiple aliases and being a vexatious litigant in Ontario courts.
Althea Maxine Reyes, 56, is facing charges on 20 criminal offences including fraud over $5,000, personation and uttering a forged document.
Court records show the alleged crimes happened between 2019 and May 2023.
Reyes is accused of knowingly using forged documents, like a lease agreement, a rental application and a credit application. She is also accused of defrauding a car company of an automobile.
Police say they are still investigating and more charges could be coming.
Because Reyes is known by courts and police to use different aliases they are hoping by releasing her photo, more victims could come forward.
Reyes was deemed a vexatious litigant in 2017 for repeatedly launching civil proceedings against people and businesses.
The judge said at that time Reyes would "harass her foes" by using civil courts.
She was banned from initiating court action without prior approval from a judge.
But court documents show Reyes, using names other than her own, continued to use the courts to try to sue people and companies.
Those efforts have repeatedly been tossed out.
In a legal proceeding earlier this year, Reyes tried suing a company owning an apartment building, the building's manager and a former resident using the name of a business that wasn't incorporated.
Superior Court Justice Heather Williams determined the company lacked the capacity to start a legal action, and concluded the lawsuit was "another in a series of actions started by Althea Reyes to harass people or organizations she is unhappy with."
"Once again, Ms. Reyes has used a name other than her own to start an action without seeking leave of the court, as her status as a vexatious litigant requires her to do," the decision tossing the matter said.
Following a CBC exposé detailing some of Reyes' activities, Justice Williams said in a 2022 decision launched by a "Kamala Tiwari" against CBC that it "defies belief" the person behind the lawsuit would be anyone but Reyes. The lawsuit was tossed.
Reyes has been in police custody since Monday and will remain in custody following a bail hearing Friday.
None of the allegations have been proven in court.
Reyes' lawyer declined comment.
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