A series of victim impact statements were heard, as a judge considers sentencing for a Prince Edward County woman who plead guilty to $107,000 in fraud.
Theresa Moore had previously plead guilty to the crime. In an agreed upon statement of facts, it was stated that she had been using fraudulent payroll documents to steal from her employer, Royal Property Management and their clients. Moore fabricated payment to former employees on the payroll, with the payments being sent to her own bank account.
Justice Geoffery Griffin began the sentencing process on Wednesday in a Picton courtroom. Four victim impact statements were read before the court, illustrating the damage the fraud had done to the lives of several people who were affected.
One of the victim impact statements the court heard was from Barbara Enright-Miller, who owned the company when the fraud took place. She said that due the the fraud she was forced to sell the company to compensate clients who were billed for fake work hours.
“Never in my worst nightmare could I have imagined the betrayal that was coming,” said Enright-Miller. “Even when some of my employees, particularly those who had prior experience with her, expressed suspicion about her integrity? The majority of us defended her. We truly believed that Theresa would never be dishonest, let alone steal from anyone. How wrong we were.”
Another statement was from Audrey Whitaker, a former employee of the company who first discovered the fraud. She said she was shocked and outraged to discover the fraud.
“When I asked why she had stolen the money, her response was she enjoyed the lifestyle the extra money provided,” said Whitaker.
Whitaker said she had discovered discrepancies in the payroll as she was preparing to end her time with the company. After confronting Moore with her findings, she reported her to Enright-Miller.
The crown is seeking a year of prison sentence, along with paying back the money that was taken.
Justice Griffin is expected to hand down a sentence on June 4th.
