Shelley Tennison of Nanaimo was convicted of stealing $7,168.50 from her workplace benefits provider in 2018. (NanaimoNewsNOW file photo)

By Ian Holmes

workplace fraud

Nanaimo woman convicted of defrauding $7K from workplace benefits provider

Oct 7, 2020 | 5:21 AM

NANAIMO — More than five months of fabricated claims by a Nanaimo woman unravelled when an investigator with the benefits provider realized something was wrong.

Shelley Leanne Tennison was convicted recently in provincial court in Nanaimo of one count of fraud over $5,000, resulting in a non-custodial suspended sentence and two years probation.

She pleaded guilty earlier this year to the scheme in which court heard involved Tennison draining her employer’s generous benefits package at primarily Nanaimo based health services.

None of the $7,168.50 worth of services at several businesses for Tennison and her son were provided.

In some cases Tennison created invoices as part of the ploy to pocket the money, court was told during an agreed statement of facts outlined by Crown Counsel’s Basil McCormick.

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The fraudulent claims between Feb 1 and June 18 of 2017 came to a halt after a complaint was filed to Nanaimo RCMP by an investigator employed by the benefits provider.

McCormick said Tennison took immediate responsibility for her actions and that she was struggling financially due to a costly legal process in family court.

She had no prior criminal record.

Tennison’s lawyer said her client cashed out her RRSP’s to cover the restitution bill.

“Ms. Tennison made a poor decision. There’s really not a lot else to say. She was going through a very stressful time and she never made an excuse for her decision,” Kendra Waugh told the court.

Waugh said Tennison was upfront with her employer when the charges came to light and voluntarily left her job.

Judge Ron Lamperson told Tennison she’s fortunate her punishment wasn’t more severe.

“A lot of people go to jail for these types of crimes and often that’s the starting point…If you ever do something like this again and are caught and charged and found guilty it’s probably jail next time,” judge Lamperson said.

The judge removed a condition which would have forced Tennison to inform employers of her criminal record to help avoid her future financial hardships.

Tennison’s two year probation term includes counseling sessions.

A second charge against the offender of using a forged document was dropped by the Crown.

ian@nanaimonewsnow.com

On Twitter: @reporterholmes