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By Laura MacInnis

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After an eight-month delay of trial, three refugees from the Republic of Congo involved in an internet fraud scam to steal people's identities plead guilty in Miramichi's Court of Queen's Bench.

Jessica Sarah-Annie Mimeault, 20, Christopher Siembaba, 23, and Cheik Ibrahim Bamba, 22, pled guilty to everything including the most serious offense, the indictable charge of conspiracy to defraud.

They were found in possession of forged documents, including identification cards, banking debit cards, social insurance cards and driver's licenses, derived directly by the commission of an offence.

Originally charged with more than a dozen charges each, Crown Prosecutor Jean Guy Savoie withdrew the original charges and replaced them with five charges combining all individual crimes performed at various companies and businesses within the month of August 2007, including attempted fraud.

The two men and one woman pled guilty to knowingly using forged documents — a false identification in the name of Josee Daniel at the Royal Bank and Telus Mobility and Canada Post, as if it was genuine.

They also pled guilty to knowingly using forged documents to defraud Telus Mobility of a cell phone and service, the Royal Bank on Pleasant Street of money, and Canada Post of mail belonging to Daniel.

Finally, Siembaba, Mimeault, and Bamba pled guilty to attempting by deceipt to defraud several other banking companies — the Bank of Montreal, Toronto Dominion, and the Bank of Nova Scotia.

In addition, Siembaba, who was already on court orders dealing with another fraud, was charged on or about Aug. 30 with being at large on his undertaking when he was found in possession of a bank card in someone else's name.

Justice Roger McIntyre delayed sentencing until next year, May 1, the only time all lawyers were available at the same time.

Graham Sleeth is representing Mimeault, while Bamba and Siembaba's counsel is Marc Bourgeois.

The three individuals originally appeared in Miramichi provincial court over a year ago in custody.

The two men and one woman were arrested by Miramichi Police Force at a Telus Mobility store on King George Highway in August 2007 with Daniel's identification.

Mimeault and Bamba were released and went back to Ontario — Bamba on $10,000 bail and Mimeault on $2,000 bail, leaving Siembaba the last of the three accused still in custody.

Because of Siembaba's additional charge he was held in custody at that time. He was later released in 2008 on $2,000 bail and was asked to turn in his passport. All three signed a court order prohibiting them from using the internet and from being in possession of any ID not belonging to them.