Lethbridge police charge 5 people in identify fraud investigation

Lethbridge police have charged five people in an identity fraud investigation with links to Calgary, Edmonton and Ontario.

Investigators say that in the fall of 2023, officers executed a search warrant on a North Side home in Lethbridge that led to the discovery of hundreds of forged documents, along with equipment to manufacture fake identity cards.

The IDs belonged to victims of identity theft, and Lethbridge police say their investigation led to additional search warrants being executed in Calgary and Edmonton.

Investigators believe the forged documents were used to purchase multiple high-end vehicles.

As part of the investigation, Calgary police seized two Land Rovers and a Mercedes Benz that had their VIN numbers changed.

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Investigators also claim to have uncovered ties to a grandparent scam in Ontario.

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Twenty-seven-year-old Mutwokal Agustino Akorkwag and 23-year-old Tagjok Agustino Akorkwag have been charged with possession of a forged or falsified credit card, making or possessing identity documents and possession of a forged document.

Nineteen-year-old Angok Malwal and 25-year-old Chol Deng-Ngong  are charged with possession of a forged or falsified credit card and making or possessing identity documents.

All four of the accused are from Lethbridge.

A fifth person — identified as an Edmonton woman — is also charged with making or possessing identity documents and possession of a stolen credit card. However, she was 17 at the time of the alleged offences so cannot be named.

Lethbridge police say the the investigation included officers from numerous agencies, including the Calgary Police Service, Edmonton Police Service, Halton Regional Police Service and the Financial Transactions and Reports Analysis Centre of Canada (FINTRAC).

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