From singer to bank robber

She aspired to become a singing star in her home country of Belize, releasing her first CD at the age of 19 with the promise of more to come.

Now she sits in prison, her dreams dashed by a transformation that saw her don a disguise and commit six armed robberies in Winnipeg.

"I love you," a tearful Emelda Marie Cuddy said to more than 30 supporters who filled a provincial court Wednesday for her emotionally charged sentencing hearing. Cuddy, 26, blew a kiss to everyone as she was led away in handcuffs to begin serving a four-and-a-half year prison term.

Justice officials say the case is one of the most unusual to come before the courts in many years. Cuddy was arrested in December 2007 while trying to cross the U.S. border in Pembina while on her way to see a Green Bay Packers football game. A search revealed an outstanding warrant for her arrest based on an ongoing police investigation.

Cuddy now admits she was the woman behind the mask who held up six credit unions in Winnipeg between July and December 2007. Although she was never seen to have a weapon, Cuddy would threaten bank staff with violence -- in one case claiming she would return to kill a pregnant teller if her demands weren't complied with, court was told.

She received more than $35,000 in cash during the robberies. There were no physical injuries.

Defence lawyer John Corona said his client's once-promising life took a troubling turn when she began hanging out at several Winnipeg bars and "got caught up with the wrong crowd." He told court she met several people who had ties to the gang and criminal underworld and may have "pressured" Cuddy into committing crimes.

"There was an (expletive) gun put to her head, that's why she did that (expletive)," her boyfriend told the Free Press outside of court Wednesday. He left without further comment, clearly distraught. In her final robbery, bank staff observed Cuddy crying as she stood in line, waiting to be called to the counter where she would produce a threatening note demanding cash.

"I don't want to do this," she sobbed to her victim.

Cuddy also began experimenting with drugs but was not committing crimes to feed an addiction, court was told. She has now been ordered to repay all of the stolen money. No explanation was given to court about where it ended up.

Cuddy is a Canadian citizen who has been in the country for many years and previously studied business administration at Brandon University. She also used to work in a bank, which gave her inside knowledge she applied when planning her robberies, court was told.

Cuddy went by the name of Marie Reimer when she released her first CD, called Maria, in 2003. It was produced by Bernie Faulkner, formerly of the 1960s-'70s band Exile.

"The No. 1 song, the one that we're promoting, it's pretty much the best song," the then-19-year-old said in a Belize TV report. "It's more for the younger people like my age. It's called That Never Happens to Me and it's a kind of a pop song, like it's not too much country it's not too much pop, it's kind of like a mixture and it's really good."

Cuddy predicted big things for her career during that interview.

"The reason we decided for Maria is because in the future it's going to be... easier for people to recognize me," she said in the TV report. "Like if I decide to go and make some Spanish music, they could say Maria, like in Mexico and the States, like (the) Cuban part of Miami and stuff like that. And for just American people or English people, they could just say Maria. It's a name that can go both ways."

The Crown was seeking a six-year sentence for Cuddy, while Corona asked for three years. Provincial court judge Rob Finlayson split the difference in reaching his verdict.

"You can still be a productive, contributing member of society," Finlayson said. "But today, you must pay for the crimes you committed."

www.mikeoncrime.com

Republished from the Winnipeg Free Press print edition February 25, 2010 B1