Fraud charges against a 54 year old Cranbrook woman have been approved two years after the investigation began.
Back in October 2012, Cranbrook RCMP started the investigation after receiving a complaint of theft/fraud from a local business.
Staff Sgt. Dave Dubnyk said the business owner reported that a long time employee had been stealing money from the business alleging she had been paying herself for hours and duties not actually performed.
"For the past two years, the Cranbrook RCMP have worked in conjunction with forensic accountants, accountants from the victim business, as well as the RCMP’s Provincial Commercial Crime Unit based out of Vancouver," Dubnyk said.
"At the conclusion of the investigation a 54 year old Cranbrook woman was taken into police custody and is now facing charges of Fraud over $5,000 and Theft over $5,000."
The woman has since been release from police custody and is scheduled to appear again in provincial court in Cranbrook on Oct. 6, 2014.
In total it is alleged the accused defrauded her employer of approximately $360,000 over the course of her 14 year tenure with the company.
This was a substantial theft and a lengthy investigation, Dubnyk added.
"It is also a very good example of a collaborative effort by our Detachment’s General Investigation Section, the RCMP’s Commercial Crime Unit and the company accountants," he said.