Cross-Canada cyclist accused of major fraud

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A man who rode his bike from Moncton to British Columbia last year will have to turn around and come back if he wants to contest allegations of theft and fraud laid against him in New Brunswick.

Christopher Aubichon, 44, made his first appearance in Moncton provincial court on Tuesday on two charges. He made arrangements to appear in court by phone from Duncan on Vancouver Island and the court reached him at around 5:45 a.m. Pacific Time on Tuesday.

Aubichon, a former Moncton resident, was charged with two offences alleged to have occurred in Moncton between April 14 and May 16, 2023. He’s accused of defrauding CG Group – a Moncton-based company that manages properties – of more than $5,000 and stealing a tablet from that same company.

The accused told the judge he spoke to legal aid but they wouldn’t take his case yet because he hadn’t been charged in court.

Prosecutor Renee Roy told the court she had been informed Aubichon wanted to transfer the charges to B.C. and plead guilty to them there. The accused confirmed that to the judge, saying he intends to transfer them.

Judge Anne Richard asked if he’s aware that means he must plead guilty to them. If he wants to plead not guilty and have a trial, he has to do that in Moncton.

“Unfortunately, I do understand that,” he said.

Since it was his first appearance, the judge offered him more time to consult a lawyer and decide how he wants to proceed and Aubichon took her up on the offer, saying he would appreciate some time to consider his options.

“I just received the summons for this last week,” he said.

The case was adjourned to May 22 to see if he has a lawyer and to enter pleas.

Aubichon’s journey from New Brunswick to B.C. made headlines in Moncton and across the country last year. The B.C. native told Brunswick News in May that he intended to move back to his home province and was going to ride his bike across the country to get there.

Aubichon said he was eager to leave behind the stresses of the job he’d held for the last decade in Moncton. He said being a property manager in charge of around 1,000 tenants has taken an emotional toll because of the “crooked industry.“

He said he suffers from depression and anxiety and thought the cycling trip would help him.

“I’m physically and mentally in a really tough spot. However, if I can get on that bike and come out on the other side in the best shape physically of my life, mentally strong, and having done something that is difficult for people that are healthy, if I can do that and do it alone, I will be a conqueror,” he said.

Aubichon told Brunswick News he spent time in 30 foster homes growing up and by the time he was 12, he was living on the street, and by 13, he began to struggle with addiction. When he aged out of the system, Aubichon said the province had a program to pay tuition fees for foster children, but at that time he was nowhere near ready to take on the responsibility of school.

With B.C. recently changing the rules to eliminate the program’s age restrictions,  Aubichon said he wanted to go back and back to school.

His trip was partially funded by a GoFundMe account set up by his sister and by July he was in Winnipeg, where he told Brunswick News his bike and gear was stolen when he went into a coffee shop. Canadian media outlets reported on the stolen bicycle and the Brunswick News reported in July that less than a week after he said his bike was taken the GoFundMe account had ballooned to $11,500 in donations.

By Aug. 11 he’d arrived in Nanaimo, finishing his journey.

– With files from Payge Woodard