Charges in Lottery Scam

The Calgary Police Service Economic Crimes Unit has charged a man and a woman in relation to a lottery scam following a Canada-wide investigation.

On Thursday, March 20, 2014, a search warrant was executed at a residence in the 0-100 block of Glamis Drive S.W. as part of an ongoing investigation. During execution of the search warrant, two suspects fled by jumping from a second floor balcony. They were both apprehended after a short foot pursuit.

Inside the residence, investigators found credit card data, mail with counterfeit postage, mailing lists, computers and documents allegedly used to create fraudulent letters to purported lottery winners.

Investigators learned the group was believed to have a role in a lottery scam in which victims would receive letters in the mail stating they had won the lottery but were required to deposit large sums of money in to a specific account in order to collect the entire winnings.

Canada Post was able to locate more than 5,000 letters with the same counterfeit postage. The letters were addressed to people across Canada and the United States.

Albert Egbe ONOLUNOSE, 34, is charged with five counts of possession of credit card data, and one count each of fraud over $5,000, using mail to defraud, and counterfeiting stamps. He will next appear in court on Thursday, June 12, 2014.

Abeba GIRMA, 25, is charged with one count of identity theft. She will next appear in court on Monday, June 23, 2014.

The Economic Crimes Unit would like to thank Canada Post, United States Postal Inspection Service and Alberta Cross-Border Fraud Partnership for their assistance with this investigation.

Details of a media availability will follow in a separate advisory.