A man who led an international crime ring and previously lived in Manitoba has had his day parole continued, CTV News has learned.
In a parole decision made in December, officials say Gerald Blanchard shows “a low level or remorse” but accepts responsibility for his crimes.
A number of conditions were imposed on the continuation of his day parole, including that he provide full financial disclosure to his parole officer, that he not associate with anyone involved in criminal activities and that he return to a residential facility each night.
Blanchard was arrested in January 2007 in connection with a robbery at a CIBC branch near Polo Park Shopping Centre in May 2004.
Officials say that between 1999 and 2007 Blanchard and his accomplices carried out in Canada and Egypt a variety of bank robberies, credit card frauds and other with more than $1 million stolen. Among the thefts was the Sisi diamond, a rare broach stolen from a museum in Austria in 1998.
In a report from the National Parole Board, officials say Blanchard appears “to be pushing the limits” of his status as an offender serving his sentence in the community.
He was first given day parole in June 2009. The parole board report says that during incarceration, officials confiscated photos of the inside of an automated teller machine, a grow operation and a large amount of cash from his cell.
The report also says that officials believe his “risk to re-offend is not considered to be undue” and have continued his day parole for another six months.
