A Zim diasporan based in Calgary, Canada has been nabbed for multiple charges of fraudulently enriching himself to sums up to $255,000.
Simbarashe Nzvimbo (29) is listed for allegedly forging bank drafts he “stole” from a bank he worked at.
He was charged after his employer contacted the Police late in July and reported that “they had discovered a theft of bank drafts, and that the drafts had been forged and used to obtain large sums of money at a local casino,” police said on Wednesday.
They have since have charged him with money laundering after bank drafts were stolen, forged and used to obtain large sums of money at a local casino.
Officers were notified last Thursday after a southeast bank discovered and reported the theft of three bank drafts, stolen over the week, said Constable Tanya Bertulli with the economic crimes unit.
The bank told police they suspected the staff member, Simbarashe Nzvimbo — a customer service representative who had worked at the financial institution since September 2014 — was responsible and that approximately $255,000 had been stolen.
It’s believed the stolen drafts were then taken to a northeast casino, converted into casino chips, then converted back to cash, Bertulli said.
“We believe he had intention to leave the country,” she added. “We needed to deal with this as soon as we could.”
With the help of the Alberta Gaming and Liquor Commission, the United States Secret Service, and the Calgary Police Service airport unit, the man was located and arrested at his southeast Calgary home later that day.
Nzvimbo has since been charged with three counts of uttering a forged document, one count of fraud over $5,000 and one count of money laundering.
Nzvimbo is expected to appear in court on Friday. He allegedly acted alone and is the only one charged in this case, Bertulli said.
She added she could not comment on his immigration status.
Bertulli said she believes the casino accepted the drafts believing they were genuine, but emphasised it’s always a good idea to take identification and do as many checks as possible to confirm they are legitimate.