Jennifer Wood, 36, was sentenced to 90 days in jail to be served on weekends for defrauding more than $40,000 from two Nanaimo businesses in 2016 and 2017. (Ian Holmes/NanaimoNewsNOW)

By Ian Holmes

Fraudster sentenced

Nanaimo woman jailed for defrauding local businesses out of more than $40,000

Oct 3, 2019 | 11:13 PM

NANAIMO — Ripping off a pair of Nanaimo businesses out of thousands of dollars resulted in an an intermittent jail sentence for a single mother of two children.

Jennifer Elizabeth Wood, 36, was handed a 90-day jail to be served on weekends for a fraudulent return scheme against her former employer Slegg Building Materials.

Wood transferred $41,171 worth of returned items into her own bank account during a six months span in 2016, court was told during an agreed statement of facts.

More than a year later Wood drove away from the Canadian Tire in Nanaimo after nearly $1,800 worth of unpaid repairs were made to her vehicle.

Wood pleaded guilty to the offences in Dec. 2018 and was sentenced Thursday, Oct. 3 in provincial court in Nanaimo by Judge Brian Harvey.

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“She was put in a position of trust…the actions of the accused were despicable and deserve to be denounced,” Judge Harvey told court just prior to issuing his sentence.

Judge Harvey called Wood’s actions “deliberate and callous financial attacks,” while stating these kinds of crime are far too common these days.

Crown prosecutor Nick Barber said Wood’s 10 fraudulent returns at Slegg Building Materials ranged between just under $1,00 to more than $8,700.

Wood was arrested in Sept. 2017 for the brazen scam.

Barber said the day after her first court appearance on Nov. 21, 2017 Wood defrauded the local Canadian Tire by using a spare key to flee the store’s parking lot undetected.

“I worry about this young woman your Honour and whether she’s getting the point about all of the things she’s done in the past and the ramifications,” Barber said, who lobbied for a one-year jail sentence and two-years probation.

He said two pre-sentence reports provided contrary claims as to why Wood committed the crimes.

One report said Wood was trying to provide for her family’s financial needs. In another report Wood claimed she needed money to help get a friend into drug treatment. Barber said there was no proof Wood assisted with anybody’s rehabilitation costs.

Barber said it’s clear Wood needs some form of counseling.

This isn’t the first time Wood has been convicted of defrauding an employer.

Wood was convicted of fraud under $5,000 for fraudulently loading gift cards in 2012 at the former Nanaimo Zellers location where she worked.

Wood was given a 90-day conditional sentence and one-year probation for the breach of trust offence.

Defence counsel Kelly Bradshaw said a psychological assessment showed Wood has at the very least mild depression and underlying anxiety.

“She impressed as someone suffering from low self-esteem and self-worth in the sense of being a failure,” the psych assessment read. “This is in context of a traumatic childhood associated with verbal and physical abuse.”

Bradshaw said 2016 was a difficult time for the financially strapped Wood, who couldn’t make ends meet.

Bradshaw said a character reference from the north Nanaimo restaurant where Wood currently works described her as a model employee. Wood does not handle cash, according to Bradshaw.

She said Wood’s employer is aware of her legal situation.

Bradshaw requested the 90-day intermittent sentence her client was given.

Wood apologized during a tearful and brief address in court.

Wood later told NanaimoNewsNOW during a break in her sentencing hearing she’s committed to healing.

“I’m just going to get better and hopefully I will never do this again,” Wood said.

Fraud cases in Canada’s judicial system leads to a wide range of sentences based on circumstances of the offender and nature of crime. The maximum punishment for fraud over $5,000 is 14-years in prison.

Wood will serve 90 days during weekends at the Alouette Correctional Centre for women in Maple Ridge.

Her three-year probation term includes staying away from all Canadian Tire and Slegg Building Materials in B.C. Wood will have to complete counselling and do 100 hours of community work service.

Judge Harvey ordered Wood to repay all of the money she defrauded from Slegg Building Materials and Canadian Tire in Nanaimo.

ian@nanaimonewsnow.com
On Twitter: @reporterholmes