Canadian woman gets prison time after false claims about her daughters in the country’s first ever ‘Pretendian’ case
A Canadian woman has been sentenced to prison for falsely claiming her daughters were Inuit in order to receive scholarships and business grants.
Karima Manji was put behind bars for three years on Thursday after pleading guilty in February to one count of fraud over $5,000, reported The Canadian Press.
The woman fraudulently filled out forms claiming her twin daughters, Amira and Nadya Gill, were Inuit children. This way they were able to use Nunavut Tunngavik Inc. benefits received from Nunavut’s land claim.
Manji’s sentence is the first of its kind in Canada for a “Pretendian” – a person who has falsely claimed Indigenous identity.
“This is a blatant example of the exploitation of indigenous peoples,” said the judge who sentenced Manji, Nunavut District Judge Mia Manocchio.
Karima Manji was sentenced to three years in a federal prison after pleading guilty to falsely claiming that her twin daughters were Inuit
Manji filed forms claiming her twin daughters, Amira and Nadya Gill (pictured), were Inuit children so they could receive benefits from the Nunavut land claim
“Ms. Manji’s case should serve as a signal to any would-be Indigenous pretender that the false appropriation of Indigenous identity in a criminal context will carry significant punishment.”
Manji claimed that her children were the biological daughters of Inuit woman Kitty Noah and that she had adopted them.
Once the Gill twins were enrolled in the benefits program, the sisters received a total of more than $158,000 from two organizations, court records show.
“With today’s ruling, Judge Manocchio has set a precedent and made it clear to potential fraudsters that identity fraud against indigenous peoples will not be tolerated,” NTI Chairman Aluki Kotierk said in a statement.
The sisters won grants and grants for their online business selling COVID face masks and regularly promoted the brand as Inuit-owned.
They were initially charged with fraud, but their charges were dropped after their mother pleaded guilty.
Manji repaid $130,000 of the money and was ordered to pay back the remaining balance.
Noah Noah, Kitty Noah’s son, told us CBC He was relieved by the conviction after his mother died last year.
When the Gill twins enrolled in the benefits program, the sisters received a total of more than $158,000 from two organizations
Manji claimed that her children (pictured) were the biological daughters of Inuit woman Kitty Noah, and that she had adopted them
‘I didn’t think so [Manji] would get everything less per day for more than two years, so I’m very happy with the result,’ Noah.
“I just feel better knowing that it’s a message that’s been sent to anyone who’s trying to deceive the Indigenous people, the Inuit, the First Nations. It’s a good day.”
Manji’s lawyer Scott Cowan said the sentence was “much higher than that of people in similar situations” and that his client was used as an example.
“The unique factors in this case led the judge to make this an exemplary sentence,” Cowan said.
“The only answer, based on the totality of the judgment, is that it was an example.”