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Winnipeg Free Press - PRINT EDITION
Stole $77,000, woman gets conditional discharge
A Winnipeg woman claims she stole more than $77,000 from her employer to provide a better life for her children.
Sandra Wilk, 47, was spared a jail sentence Wednesday under a joint recommendation from Crown and defence lawyers. She pleaded guilty to fraud and was given the maximum conditional sentence of two years less a day, followed by three years of supervised probation.
Wilk has previously been convicted of two other similar thefts, in 1998 and 2000, for which she was also allowed to remain in the community.
"I appreciate every parent wants to provide a better standard of living for their children. But the answer isn't to steal from someone else," said provincial court Judge Catherine Carlson. "You were put in a position of trust by your employer and you breached that trust."
Despite her previous criminal history, Wilk was hired by Hi Tech Installations Ltd. to be a bookkeeper and office manager and began her crime in 2006, court was told. She used a company bank account to pay off more than $62,000 in personal credit card debts, wrote nine company cheques to herself for nearly $10,000 and charged another $5,000 in purchases to company credit cards.
The missing money was discovered in 2007 and Wilk was fired and arrested by police. She has been free on bail ever since with no re-involvement.
Defence lawyer Richard Wolson told court his client began taking the money while struggling to raise her four teenaged children as a single mother.
Wilk has since re-married and found employment with Sun Mortgage, who know about her past but have still put her in a position of trust, court was told. She has already paid approximately $20,000 restitution to Hi Tech and has agreed to have her wages garnished until the entire amount is returned.
"She seems to have (her new employer's) support, there's nothing but glowing reviews," said Wolson.
Wilk will be under 24-hour house arrest with exceptions to attend work, medical appointments and any other emergencies. She is also allowed five hours every Saturday to attend to personal matters such as shopping.
www.mikeoncrime.com
Republished from the Winnipeg Free Press print edition August 26, 2010 A7
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