A Prince Edward County woman has pleaded guilty to additional charges in a long-running fraud case.
Jennifer Simao, who was 44 at the time of her arrest in 2023, pleaded guilty during an appearance at the Ontario Court of Justice in Belleville, to one count of fraud over $5000 and one count of attempting to obstruct justice. The new fraud charge is in relation to having stolen just over $70,000 from her mother, while the obstructing justice charge stems from having submitted falsified documents to the court.
In an agreed upon submission of facts, it was found that Simao fraudulently transferred funds out of her mother’s retirement savings, and convinced her mother to provide her with $52,000 to pay for supposed medical and legal fees, having shown her mother fake receipts for the supposed expenses. The court also determined that previous doctor’s notes provided to the court alleging that Simao was unable to attend court for medical reasons were falsified. Those notes were found to be written by AI.
Simao previously pleaded guilty to one count of fraud over $5000, and another of theft over $5000. Those charges are in relation to previous incidents where she had taken large sums of money from her previous employers. While she was working for Impacto Protective Products in Belleville, Simaeo made multiple fraudulent purchases on company credit cards totalling over $650,000. While working as Communications and Media Director for Station Road Arts Collective in The County, she misdirected over $5000 into her personal accounts. Overall, the total amount alleged to have been taken in all the fraud instances is $788,498.
During Wednesday’s hearing, arguments were heard regarding sentencing. The defence asked for two years of prison sentence with three additional years of probation. The crown sought four years of prison time, a restitution order, and a prohibition on working in any job where she would have authority over another person’s money or property.
As part of the sentencing arguments, victim impact statements were heard from several of the people affected. A relative read Simao’s mother’s statement, where she detailed how the incident left her deeply depressed, with difficulty trusting people after having her trust so seriously violated. The court also heard victim impact statements from Conrad Beaubien and John Burns, from the Station Road Arts Collective, detailing how the money stolen from them has caused serious problems with their finances. The funds taken have caused late payments to suppliers, and difficulties in securing grants and sponsorships upon which the group relies.
The defence also sought a seven-day bail period to allow Simao to make arrangements with her family to handle care for her children while she serves her sentence. The presiding justice, Justice Robert Horton, rejected that request outright.
“Even with the charges having come out, your client continued to act in this manner over and over again,” said Justice Horton. “Over such a significant period of time.”
After arguments, Justice Horton adjourned the court until a future date in order to consider the arguments presented. The matter is due back in court on June 15.
