Date: Thu Sep  4 12:23:35 2008
Subject: PA/MRU #08-456  COMMERCIAL CRIME CHARGES
From: Martin Kemp

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             CITYBEAT - CITY OF CALGARY PRESS RELEASE
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An integrated effort between Canadian and U.S. law
enforcement agencies has led to several commercial crime
arrests and charges related to an organized crime group. 

After a seven-month long investigation in cooperation with
the Montreal Police Service, the Vancouver Police Department
and the United States Secret Service, members of the Calgary
Police Service Commercial Crime Unit have arrested and
charged four people suspected of compromising the electronic
database of a Calgary-based business, and withdrawing nearly
$2 million dollars. 

It is alleged these individuals falsely inflated the value of
pre-paid debit cards by compromising the company’s computer
system and loading money onto the debit cards. It is also
alleged the accused then made cash withdrawals on these debit
cards at several ATMs throughout Canada and within several
other countries. The majority of the Canadian withdrawals
happened in Montreal.

Ehud TENENBAUM, 29, of Israel, has been charged with six
counts of fraudulent use of credit card data (section 342(3)
of the Criminal Code of Canada) and one count of fraud over
$5,000 (section 380(1)(a) of the Criminal Code of Canada).

Priscilla MASTRANGELO, 30, of Montreal, has been charged with
23 counts of fraudulent use of credit card data and one count
of fraud over $5,000.

Jean Francois RALPH, aka Ralph JEAN-FRANCOIS, 28, of
Montreal, has been charged with four counts of fraudulent use
of credit card data and two counts of fraud over $5,000. 

Sypros XENOULIS, 33, of Montreal, has been charged with one
count of using fraudulent use of credit card data and one
count of fraud under $5,000 (section 380(1)(b) of the
Criminal Code of Canada).

The monetary loss due to the unauthorized increases on the
pre-paid debit cards was approximately $1.8 million dollars. 

All four individuals were arrested in Montreal, Quebec. They
were transported to Calgary, Alberta, on September 2, 2008.

The investigation continues. 

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Public Email Contact: 

    cps@calgarypolice.ca

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