City manager facing charges following investigation into pirated software

Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 25/02/2019 (2651 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

---

Update: In March 2026, Manitoba’s prosecution service told the Winnipeg Free Press they did not proceed with charges in this matter.

---

The City of Winnipeg manager in charge of purchasing and maintaining mobile and portable radio equipment faces several charges following a lengthy police investigation into pirated software.

Ed Richardson was arrested on Feb. 21, Winnipeg police confirmed Monday. He faces numerous charges including fraud over $5,000, unauthorized use of a computer, possession of a device to obtain unauthorized use of a computer and possession of a device to obtain telecommunication service.

The offences are alleged to have occurred between Jan. 1, 2011 and April 30, 2017. The charges have not yet been formally laid in court and Richardson is presumed innocent.

An order issued by a Court of Queen’s Bench judge in January 2018 directed the City of Winnipeg’s technical services department to produce all of the emails sent, received or deleted by Richardson.

The court order stems from an affidavit by Det.-Sgt. Christopher Blain of the Winnipeg Police Service’s major crime unit. In it, Blain said he believes the information in Richardson’s emails may provide evidence to support criminal charges.

Richardson, a communications system engineer, oversees the daily operations of the City of Winnipeg “radio shop” where he has worked since 1997. He oversees 14 employees who work out of the Transit Garage at 421 Osborne St. and four at police headquarters on Smith Street.

One of the roles of the shop is to repair and maintain the department’s Motorola radios, which provide encrypted and secure communication. An employee responsible for installing the encryption keys on the radios reported concerns about Richardson related to the use of pirated or hacked Motorola software updates, court documents say.

Motorola requires regular software updates that come with a cost, and the City of Winnipeg is required to purchase a predetermined amount of updates from the company, with the keys to unlock the updates — known as refreshes — delivered on a secure USB fob at the radio shop, the court affidavit said. It alleges Richardson brought in hacked, fraudulent licence keys and directed shop employees to use the pirated version on all radios instead of purchasing legitimate ones.

The radio shop employee who came forward expressed concern about the pirated updates and that Richardson may be associating with a radio “enthusiast” with a “fixation” on the Winnipeg Police Service and who is known to use high-tech equipment to monitor police and fire transmissions.

A court affidavit alleges Richardson brought in hacked, fraudulent licence keys and directed shop employees to use the pirated version on all radios instead of purchasing legitimate ones.

The affidavit says the Winnipeg man has been on the radar of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security. It sent an agent to Winnipeg to warn city police about the activities of the enthusiast, who was allegedly reprogramming Motorola radios but is not licensed to do so.

The Winnipegger is reportedly capable of enabling the Motorola radio’s transmission to be encrypted and that raised alarm bells — not only because of concerns about pirated software, but also about criminals being able to communicate without fear of being intercepted by authorities. The U.S. agent pointed to one “innocuous” email sent by the Winnipeg radio enthusiast to Richardson that pertained to amateur radio.

Then, unrelated to the investigation, the Winnipeg Police Service and the Winnipeg Fire Paramedic Service purchased new Harris brand radios and stopped using Motorola radios in spring of 2017. Even though Motorola is no longer being used, a Winnipeg Fire Paramedic Service employee discovered access to the new Harris radios was provided to the Winnipeg radio enthusiast on Homeland Security’s radar.

The City of Winnipeg refused to comment on Richardson or whether or not he is still employed, saying it is a human resources issue and a police matter. Attempts to reach Richardson Monday were unsuccessful.

Richardson, meanwhile, was lauded in for his work on the radio project team that “improved reliability and capability of the Winnipeg Police Service and the Winnipeg Fire Paramedic Service radio systems,” the city’s website says. The award from the Association of Public-Safety Communications Officials in Canada “is given to someone who has demonstrated extraordinary technology knowledge and expertise in their support of public safety communications,” it said.

— with files from Katie May

carol.sanders@freepress.mb.ca