Edmonton man charged with defrauding Nunavut corporation of nearly $3M

A 23-year-old Edmonton man has been charged in a case of multi-million dollar fraud in Nunavut. 

Kirk Nosagie Iyekekpolor has been charged with defrauding the Qikiqtaaluk Business Development Corporation — an economic development organization working in the Baffin Island region. 

Iyekekpolor is accused of stealing over $2.9 million from the corporation in the fall of 2024.

He is also accused of defrauding the Nunavut Film Development Corporation of $26,000. 

In a news release Wednesday, the Nunavut RCMP said the money was stolen through a business email compromise — a sophisticated scam where someone hacks a business email account to conduct unauthorized transfers of funds. 

The Iqaluit RCMP, with the assistance of the Alberta RCMP, arrested him and charged him with two counts of fraud over $5,000. 

This is the second multi-million dollar fraud arrest in the territory this year 

A Winnipeg man was also charged earlier this year for using the same method to defraud the Qikiqtani Inuit Association of over $2 million. 

Iyekekpolor was remanded into custody and his next court appearance is July 22 in Iqaluit.