Police charge five people in connection with identity frauds, forging documents

Lethbridge Police have charged five members of a group following a lengthy investigation into fraudulent activity throughout the province and beyond.

Members of the Crime Suppression Team and Property Crimes Unit initiated the investigation in the fall of 2023 after executing a search warrant at a northside home that resulted in the seizure of hundreds of forged identity documents, along with equipment for manufacturing IDs. Following further investigation, many of the IDs were found to belong to identity theft victims from various provinces. 

The investigation determined multiple subjects attended financial institutions throughout southern Alberta and fraudulently opened bank accounts, credit cards, loans and other accounts in the names of the identity theft victims. Several of the subjects also obtained and registered multiple high-end vehicles, through fraudulent means. Two Land Rovers and a Mercedes Benz were all eventually seized in Calgary and found to have been re-vinned. Additional search warrants at residences in Calgary and Edmonton, resulted in the further seizure of more forged IDs and financial documents. 

During the investigation, additional crimes in other jurisdictions were also identified, including defrauding victims in Ontario as part of a grandparent scam. 

The totality of the investigation included assistance 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). 

Mutwokal Agustino Akorkwag, 27, of Lethbridge, is charged with possession of a forged or falsified credit card, making/possessing identity documents, possession of a forged document. 

Tagjok Agustino Akorkwag, 23, of Lethbridge, is charged with possession of a forged or falsified credit card, making/possessing identity documents, possession of a forged document.

Angok Malwal, 19, of Lethbridge, is charged with possession of a forged or falsified credit card and making/possessing identity documents.

Chol Deng-Ngong, 25, of Lethbridge, is charged with possession of a forged or falsified credit card and making/possessing identity documents.

An 18-year-old female from Edmonton, who was 17 at the time of the offences and cannot be identified, is charged with making/possession identity documents and possession of a stolen credit card.

The accused have all made first court appearances and remain before the court at various stages of their proceedings.