RCMP lay charges for passport fraud

TORONTO • The RCMP is searching around the world for 18 suspects carrying passports they allegedly obtained through a Citizenship and Immigration Canada employee now facing dozens of criminal charges.

Aline Rozeline Zeitoune, 50, who worked in the CIC passport section, was charged with breach of trust and 96 other counts including selling identity documents, passport forgery and making false statements, the RCMP said Friday.

“She was a Passport Canada employee and we suspect she may have been involved in this scheme for financial gain, but it’s very much an ongoing investigation and her exact motivation is still to be determined,” said Sgt. Richard Rollings.

According to police, 22 people, at least some of them foreign nationals, were able to obtain Canadian passports under false names, birthdates and addresses as a result of the misconduct of the Toronto civil servant. Only four have been caught so far.

They are: Luke Tyler (alias Wayne Miller), 49, a Jamaican described by police as “no longer in Canada;” Evgeni Eliash (alias Evgeni Rubin),

Criminals will go to great lengths to obtain fake ... passports

36, an Israeli who is in custody; Luis Cabrera (alias Luis Moyano), 54, of Uruguay, who is also “no longer in Canada;” and Srinivas Gottiparthi (alias Sushanth Goud) 38, of India, who is being detained.

“These people were not from Canada and were not entitled to Canadian passports,” Sgt. Rollings said. They were charged with passport forgery.

The investigation began in March 2013 after CIC contacted the RCMP about suspicions an employee was processing fraudulent passport applications. Ms. Zeitoune was arrested Thursday and was being held in custody. She was to appear in court in Toronto on Friday.

Police are working with partner agencies in Canada and abroad to locate the remaining suspects. It was unclear whether they were Canadians or foreign nationals. “We anticipate other arrests,” said Sgt. Rollings, the RCMP spokesman for Ontario.

With the passports, criminals would have been able to live in Canada under fake identities and travel undetected, but the names on the documents are now likely on international watch lists, which would render them useless.

There was no indication from police the case was related to terrorism.

“Criminals will go to great lengths to obtain fake or fraudulent passports to allow them the freedom to travel throughout the world,” said Sgt. Louie Casale of the Toronto West Serious and Organized Crime Team. “It is very important to maintain the reputation of the Canadian passport and the RCMP will diligently investigate those responsible for passport fraud.”