Renee Patricial Merkel, 43, received two years of house arrest and three years probation for her role in a high profile workplace scam she orchestrated. (Ian Holmes/NanaimoNewsNOW)

By NanaimoNewsNOW Staff

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NANAIMO — A once-trusted employee busted for funnelling $70,000 from an Errington sawmill into her own bank account is serving her sentence at home with strict conditions.

Renee Patricia Merkel, 43, was handed two years house arrest, followed by three years probation for her damaging breach of trust at the now closed Errington Cedar Products.

During his April 29 judgment in Nanaimo, BC Supreme Court Justice David Crerar said electronic monitoring and the maximum three years probation with strict conditions adequately protects the public from Merkel and provides deterrence and condemnation for her actions.

“While her offence was pernicious and profoundly dishonest, it was not violent. Mrs. Merkel does not physically endanger the safety of the community.”

The judge said Merkel’s sentence will better promote her rehabilitation by continuing therapy and won’t cost taxpayers anything.

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While she won’t go to jail as the Crown had insisted, Merkel was ordered to not have authority over another person or organization’s money or property aside from her immediate family’s for the rest of her life.

Merkel was ordered to pay back $109,000, representing the total loss to the bankrupt mill which operated between 1986 and 2019.

The mill’s former bookkeeper must pay back multiple employees burdened by increased tax liabilities after she fictitiously inflated their salaries between April 1, 2017 an March 11, 2019.

“I also agree with the defence that Mrs. Merkel will be in a better position to repay the victims of her crime if she serves her sentence under house arrest, potentially earning a salary,” judge Crerar said.

Merkel must pay back the money she defrauded within five years in monthly increments of at least $500 starting June 1.

She has three prior convictions for similar workplace scams dating back to 2001 in Port Alberni under her maiden name Renee Yacaboski.

During sentencing arguments, Crown prosecutor Brett Webber lobbied for a two year jail sentence for Merkel.

Her pre-sentence report revealed she rationalized her behaviour to pay for bills and her children’s sports costs and had accepted responsibility for her actions.

Merkel’s lawyer said his client was previously diagnosed with depression and was constantly dealing with various stresses in life at the time of her most recent offending.

Psychiatrist reports cited concerns Merkel lacked remorse and insight into her offending and is at a medium-to-high risk to re-offend.

She declined to issue a statement to the court.

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