Thief blames downward spiral in life for stealing

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This article was published 10/03/2015 (3840 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

A Manitoba woman who stole more than $9,000 from the Lynn Lake Friendship Centre says she was trying to cope with a series of tragic events in her life at the time.

Erica Olson appeared in a Winnipeg courtroom Monday after pleading guilty to theft and fraud. Crown and defence lawyers have made a joint recommendation for a six-month conditional sentence and a restitution order for the first-time offender.

“I really am sorry about what I did,” said Olson. She told court she’s turned down offers of help from her mother and others to pay back the money, saying she wants to do it herself.

“If I actually pay it back myself, I’ll learn not to do it again,” she said.

Provincial court Judge Sid Lerner has reserved his decision until later this month.

Olson pocketed the money while working at the community-based organization that offers a variety of programs and services.

Defence lawyer Michael Dyck said his client used the cash to feed a gambling and alcohol addiction that developed after her life began a downward spiral in 2012.

She suffered a miscarriage, her marriage ended over allegations her spouse was unfaithful, her dad died of alcohol-related illness and she was the victim of a serious attack, court was told.

“Unfortunately, she turned to the clutches of alcohol and gambling to cope,” said Dyck.

The Crown expressed concern over a pre-sentence report in which Olson appeared to minimize her responsibility, suggesting others working at the organization were also pocketing money.

Dyck insisted she knows what she did was wrong.

“She’s had a significant amount of shame over her actions,” he said. “She wants to pay back that money and accept responsibility for her actions.”

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