Judge revokes bail as Inuit enrolment fraud case sentencing begins
Crown seeks 18-months’ jail time as Karima Manji’s sentencing begins, while defence calls for conditional sentence
Karima Manji, masked and hooded, leaves the courthouse in Iqaluit on Monday. Her bail was revoked after she pleaded guilty to a fraud charge in February. Following a sentencing hearing Monday, Manji is scheduled Thursday to hear what her sentence will be. (Photo by Jeff Pelletier)
Karima Manji left the Iqaluit courthouse in handcuffs Monday afternoon while she awaits sentencing in her fraud case, expected to come Thursday.
Earlier this year, Manji pleaded guilty to fraud over $5,000 in a case about Inuit enrolment that attracted international attention. She had been out on bail since she was charged in September 2023.
In 2016, Manji fraudulently obtained Inuit enrolment with Nunavut Tunngavik Inc. for her twin 25-year-old daughters, Amira and Nadya Gill, according to an agreed statement of facts.
NTI is the organization responsible for ensuring Inuit receive the benefits they are entitled to under the Nunavut Agreement.
Through that enrolment, the twins obtained $158,254.05 in scholarships from the Kakivak Association, which provides financial support to Qikiqtani Inuit students.
With the money, the twins paid for their education at Queen’s University in Kingston, Ont.
The Gills also launched an online store that sold products, including T-shirts and COVID-19 masks, with Indigenous artwork. Profits went to the charity Indspire, which provides bursaries to Indigenous students.
In March 2023, Inuit activists took to social media to question the twins’ identity.
The twins were also charged with fraud in September 2023, at the same time as their mother, but the Crown withdrew those charges when Manji pleaded guilty in February 2024.
Manji appeared in Iqaluit court in person at Monday’s hearing — the first time she has done so since she was charged.
Wearing a COVID-19 facemask, she sat quietly as Crown lawyer Sarah White and defence lawyer Scott Cowan made their submissions to Justice Mia Manocchio.
Both White and Noah Noah — whose late mother Kitty Noah’s name was used to obtain the NTI cards — said they were hoping for a jail sentence of 18 months to two years less a day, a sentence Manji could serve in a jail instead of in a federal prison.
Cowan was seeking a conditional sentence, meaning Manji wouldn’t have to go to jail.
In the Crown’s submissions, White said there is limited case law because this might be the first time someone has been charged and convicted of a fraud relating to Indigenous identity theft.
“Ms. Manji’s actions were deliberate and calculated,” White said.
She noted Manji paid back $130,000 of the money her daughters obtained.
Marie Belleau, a lawyer for NTI, read a victim impact statement on her organization’s behalf.
Belleau said Manji’s actions caused “irreparable damage,” resulting in the loss of opportunities for Inuit youth.
Manji’s actions forced NTI to tighten its Inuit enrolment process to prevent others from obtaining fraudulent enrolment, she said.
Noah, who came to court with his family, described in his statement how Manji’s actions affected them, while also speaking about his mother.
Noah Noah enters court for Karima Manji’s sentencing for fraud on Monday. (Photo by Jeff Pelletier)
“[Kitty] was nice despite not having much,” he said, describing his mother as the “opposite” of Manji.
“The stress on my family has been terrible.”
In defence submissions, Cowan highlighted the fact Manji has already paid back most of the money her daughters got.
Manji owns property in Toronto and works “odd jobs,” he said.
Manocchio referred to Manji’s previous fraud sentence.
In 2017, she was sentenced to two years less a day for defrauding the March of Dimes charity in Toronto.
Cowan referred to case law about fraud and spoke about why this one was different.
In other fraud cases where charities were the victims, the culprits received jail time after using the fraudulently obtained money on “anti-social behaviours” such as drugs and gambling, he said.
“This is a mother asking for scholarship money for her daughters,” Cowan said.
He said Manji, while living in Iqaluit in the 1990s, had “pro-social” impact on the people of Nunavut, and “sat in as a parent” with the Noah family.
But members of the Noah family shook their heads in response.
Manji offered an apology.
“I am deeply sorry for what I caused,” she said.
“I’ll accept any sentence you give me with grace and dignity.”
Manocchio said she will give her sentence Thursday.
But the judge revoked Manji’s bail.
“The accused is no longer presumed innocent,” Manocchio said.
Manji was taken into custody at the end of proceedings.
Leaving court, Noah called it “a good day.”
“I’m glad that she’s no longer out on bail, that she will be definitely handed a sentence,” he said.
NTI shares the blame for allowing her daughters to be enrolled under the Nunavut Land Claims Agreement.
I completely agree. This is probably why NTI is making this a very public thing.
2 years ? Come on . Frauding government in canada can be a 10 year sentence . Send her away ..
Petty 2 years just let’s this happen again .
Whoever approved their enrolment should be investigated too, might be involved, might have gotten a cut
CBC investigated the family , they own million dollar rental properties in toronto
I clearly don’t understand how western justice works. Someone commits two frauds, one for $800,000 back in 2016 by defrauding a not for profit housing corporation and a second one being identity fraud – the first ever indigenous identity fraud case. And all they get is two years. The woman exposes her twins to worldwide notoriety and helps them to steal $158,000 through false pretences and all they get is two years. Even for the $800,000 fraud, she only got a conditional sentence and never spent a day in jail AND got to keep her $3 million properties – ill gotten gains and proceeds of crime.
Even better is that her daughters are getting away scott-free. It is understandable that anyone would be tempted by some of the benefits of being indiginous in this county, but they took two scholarships away from other kids that deserved them much more. A two-year jail sentence is an absolute farce.
Real role models.
She hasn’t been sentenced yet. That will happen on Thursday.
“Belleau said Manji’s actions caused “irreparable damage,” resulting in the loss of opportunities for Inuit youth.Manji’s actions forced NTI to tighten its Inuit enrolment process to prevent others from obtaining fraudulent enrolment..”
NTI’s claim of “irreparable damage” seems exaggerated. Which Inuit were displaced and unable to receive funding that year due to this incident? Has Kakivak or any other NTI-sponsored school funding ever lacked enough resources to support all eligible applicants? I would agree with the statement if someone’s application was actually denied because of Manji’s fraud. However, considering the substantial funds distributed in Nunavut and by NTI, it is hard to believe that anyone missed out because of this blunder.
Regarding the note on forcing NTI to tighten its processes, this should not be seen negatively. NTI should have been scrutinizing claims more rigorously, as its processes were susceptible to exploitation. Including these points in their victim impact statement seems like NTI is grandstanding, overshadowing the real victim here, Kitty Noah.
How do you enroll with just one name? Have have friends up north(NWT-TREATY AND SELF GOV). and they say for their enrolment, you have to provide a family tree, not just one name. What an oversight by the GNU.
The GN had no role in this at all. It was entirely the Inuit orgs.
The irony of all this is that the pretendians are actually indians.
Send a clear message. Lock her up! She has shown a pattern of dishonesty, and call it what it was. Yes it was fraudulent but also it was theft on a large scale. Theft of money earmarked for Inuit kids, and theft of Inuit identity. There have been a significant amount of other instances of indigenous person theft. Some at Canadian Universities and some within governments. Make her an example to others and lock her up. I don’t care that she paid back some of the money. How did she do that? More theft? She is suggesting on one hand she can not work and needs spousal support, and on the other hand she is able to pay back over 100 thousand dollars? This is shameful, and Nunavut could set the tone for others that try to claim indigenous heritage unlawfully. I am not happy that these girls get off scott free. I believe they knew. One of them studied to be a lawyer. They are not stupid. I am sure they were quite aware but enjoyed the gravy train of free money coming their way. Shameful.
Being an Inuk is so valuable here in Canada that some people are willing to risk jail to impersonate us in order to obtain benefits. I hope besides this unfortunate legal proceeding, at least some Inuit can recognize this startling fact. 50 years ago, I would think you would not find anyone in their right mind that would want people to think they are Inuk when they were not. This is progress of a sorts.
Southern businesses try their hardest to work with someone to become an Inuit Owned Firm. Anyone associated with an Inuk most often goes for hunting and fishing assignment of rights. There is a list as long as my arm for the programs and grants that are available to Inuit only up here.
So many times you hear about Inuit feeling like they are mostly persecuted and looked down on. Yes, there are still plenty of racists in Canada. That is totally true. At the same time, there is now incredible opportunity for Inuit, a great deal of support for personal growth and development, especially for our youth.
So, I would encourage people to see things today in both ways instead of feeling negative all the time.
You tapatuuk
Yes, the privilege associated with being Indigenous, particularly Inuk, is very tempting to some.
Watch, she ripped off nti, before ripping off nti she also had fraudulent charges against her. Knowing the justice system, she’ll get community service work given to her. She should receive at least 10 – 20 years for being a repeat offender and have all of her assets frozen and or sold off to repay what she stole.
The recognition of these women as Inuit on such scanty (and false) evidence, and the extremely large size of the scholarships it got them, makes one wonder if there is someone involved within NTI who could have gotten kickbacks for approving both their status and for granting them such huge sums of money. Hope that was looked into as well.