Canadian woman gets prison time after false claims about her daughters in the country's first ever 'Pretendian' case

A Canadian woman was sentenced to prison for falsely claiming her daughters were Inuit to get scholarships and business grants.

Karima Manji was given three years behind bars on Thursday after pleading guilty in February to one count of fraud over $5,000, reported The Canadian Press.

The woman fraudulently filed out forms claiming her twin daughters, Amira and Nadya Gill, were Inuit children so they could receive benefits from the Nunavut land claim through Nunavut Tunngavik Inc.

Manji's sentence is the first of its kind in Canada for a 'Pretendian' - a person who has falsely claimed Indigenous identity. 

'This is an egregious example of the exploitation of Indigenous Peoples,' said the judge who sentenced Manji, Nunavut Justice Mia Manocchio.

'Ms. Manji's case must serve as a signal to any future Indigenous pretender that the false appropriation of Indigenous identity in a criminal context will draw a significant penalty.'

Manji claimed 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 more than $158,000 total from two organizations, according to court records.

'Justice Manocchio set a precedent with her ruling today, making it clear to potential fraudsters that Indigenous identity theft will not be tolerated,' NTI president Aluki Kotierk said in a statement. 

The sisters won scholarships and grants for their online business that sold COVID face masks, and regularly advertised the brand as Inuit-owned.

They were initially charged with fraud but those were dropped once their mother pleaded guilty. 

Manji has paid back $130,000 of the money and was ordered to return the remaining balance. 

Noah Noah, Kitty Noah's son, told CBC he was relieved by the sentencing after his mother died last year.

'I didn't think she [Manji] would get anything longer than two years less a day, so I'm very pleased with the outcome,' Noah.

'I just feel better, knowing that it's a message sent to anyone that's trying to defraud Indigenous, Inuit, First Nations. It's a good day.'

Manji's lawyer Scott Cowan said the sentencing was 'much higher than most similarly situated people' and his client was being 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 to make an example.'