A former bookkeeper who pleaded guilty to fraudulently transferring more than $64,000 to herself from her Prince George employer’s accounts was sentenced May 16 to six months in jail and 18 months probation.
Diane Friesen, 57, pleaded guilty to fraud over $5,000 on April 30, 2024 and was subject to pre-sentencing assessment. Provincial Court Judge David Simpkin heard Crown and defence sentencing proposals last month.
Crown sought nine-to-12 months in jail plus three years probation and a standalone restitution order in the amount of $64,425.25. Friesen’s lawyer sought a conditional sentence of 18 months to two years less a day to be served in the community, plus probation.
Simpkin said Friesen worked for 45-70 Management Inc., parent company of APR Contracting Ltd., and admitted to transferring a total $64,425.25 over 33 occasions between Jan. 1, 2017 and April 1, 2019 to herself. She concealed the transactions by categorizing them as paycheques until her employer found out and fired her on April 2, 2019. Most recently, she lived with a relative in Chilliwack and delivered food and groceries to earn income.
Simpkin said one of Friesen’s employers, Andre Faucher, told the court in a victim impact statement that he knew Friesen for 14 years and treated her like a member of his family, even paying for her training and educational opportunities. Faucher said the financial loss the companies suffered caused sleepless nights and forced him to work an extra 10 years to earn enough for a decent pension. Simpkin also said 45-70 obtained a default civil judgment against Friesen for $250,000, but has yet to recover any of the stolen funds.
According to the pre-sentencing reports, Friesen told a psychologist the first time she transferred funds to herself was prior to receiving an expected Christmas bonus. She repaid some of the money, but then needed to buy a new car and the loan payments became onerous. She bought online subscription boxes containing makeup, skincare, pens and household items, becoming so ashamed that she left them unopened or avoided picking them up from the delivery hub.
She also spent “an excessive amount of money on in-app purchases on an Internet based game that she would play on her phone,” Simpkin said.
A report from a psychological said Friesen suffered depression, anxiety and unregulated eating patterns. She had thoughts of self-harm and suicide.
The report determined Friesen is a low risk to reoffend, but is prone to binge purchases and compared her problem to a gambling addiction, “in which the thrill does not necessarily come from winning, but the thrill comes from participation.”
“The overall impression I was left with is that Ms. Friesen has led a life that has been sadly unfulfilled,” Simpkin said.
While she committed an egregious breach of trust, Simpkin noted Friesen had no prior criminal record. She pleaded guilty, accepted full responsibility for her actions and expressed shame in court.
“She spoke eloquently about the impact of the crime and I found her expression of remorse to be genuine and heartfelt,” Simpkin said.
Simpkin said the only sentence that can address the “pressing need for denunciation and deterrence” is imprisonment followed by probation. He did not agree to the Crown’s request for a restitution order, because there already is a civil judgment against Friesen for a larger amount claimed by her former company.
Conditions include no contact with the victims, except to repay her debt.
