RCMP
A Cranbrook resident has pleaded guilty to Fraud Over $5,000 and received a two-year Conditional Sentence Order, following a three-year investigation by RCMP.
In May of 2013, Cranbrook RCMP were approached by a Cranbrook business owner who said that he suspected an employee had been defrauding his company of a large sum of money between 2006 and 2013.
The owner said he had noticed that a significant number of company cheques had been deposited in the employee’s personal account. The business owner told RCMP that the amount was currently over $166,000.
After an internal Forensic Audit was conducted for the company, it was determined the employee was creating false customers and writing cheques in her name, and was also receiving unauthorized payment from the company.
As a result of the audit it was determined that over $225,000 was taken over a seven-year period.
On May 10, 2016, Kari McLean was handed down a two year Conditional Sentence Order, along with an order to pay back the money she took.
“To a small business owner, for that amount of money to go missing in that short amount of time is devastating,” RCMP said in a press release Thursday. “The successful conclusion of this file, and the subsequent order for McLean to pay back $225,000 will hopefully ensure the business is able to thrive once again.”