Four men charged in 'co-ordinated ATM fraud' in Edmonton casinos, police say
In a news release on Monday, the RCMP Federal Policing Northwest Region (NWR) said that the four withdrew large amounts of cash in a co-ordinated effort to "evade detection and exploit financial institutions."
No details have been released as to when the scams occurred or which casinos were affected.
The withdrawals triggered service disruptions to several ATMs across Western Canada, police said. This prompted the NWR to execute six search warrants in collaboration with the Edmonton Police Service.
Investigators found evidence of fraud and money laundering, resulting in charges of fraud over $5,000 and possession of property obtained by crime against four men, aged 28, 37, 39, and 42
The 37 and 39-year-old men were also charged with laundering the proceeds of crime. An undisclosed quantity of cocaine was also found, leading to an additional drug trafficking charge to be levied against a fifth man, 42. All five of the individuals are from Edmonton.
Four of the accused were set to appear at the Alberta Court of Justice Monday, while the 28-year-old man is still at large, with a warrant out for his arrest.
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