The Pearson gold heist ringleader kept a handwritten $10.3-million debt list
Arsalan Chaudhary entered a guilty plea today in a Brampton courtroom
Back in January, Arsalan Chaudhary was charged with theft over $5,000, conspiracy to commit an indictable offence and possession of property obtained by crime, in connection to the 2023 Pearson International Airport gold heist.
Police called it the largest gold heist in Canadian history, involving 6,600 gold bars worth more than $20 million and $2.5 million in cash.
Related: Someone who works for the city stole $18,800 worth of merchandise
According to the Toronto Star, Chaudhary pleaded guilty to theft over $5,000 today, waiving his right to a trial. In a Brampton courtroom, Crown attorney Jelena Vlacic described a handwritten list discovered by police in Chaudhary’s apartment, detailing how he’d disperse $10.3 million he is said to have made as a result of melting down the stolen gold in a Mississauga jewelry store’s basement.
The list allocated $5 million to an unidentified group, $1 million to the “boss,” $250,000 for a “condo,” $200,000 for someone named as “Tommy,” $150,000 to a “driver,” $80,000 for a “boat” and $40,000 for what he’d written down as “parents.”
“He acknowledges creating a debt list for the purpose of having the proceeds of this theft distributed and, ultimately, distributing some of those profits,” Vlacic said, calling Chaudhary a “key organizer” of the heist.
Chaudhary’s defence asked the judge for a four-year prison term, while the Crown argued he should serve seven. A sentencing decision will be delivered next month.
Related: A Toronto flight attendant is accused of using fake identification to get free flights for years
Carly Lewis is a journalist whose work has appeared in the New York Times and the New York Times Magazine, Vanity Fair, Wired, Interview Magazine, Pitchfork, Elle, and Maclean’s, where she is a contributing editor. Her work has been recognized by the National Magazine Awards and the Digital Publishing Awards. She reports on city life, culture—including what people do online—politics, art and crime. She received the Dave Greber Freelance Writers Award for “The Murder of Ashley Wadsworth,” an investigative feature about a Canadian teenager who was killed by a man she met on social media, published by Maclean’s.
