A 60-year-old woman who allegedly defrauded her Calgary employer out of nearly $400,000 since 2021 is facing eight fraud, forgery and theft charges after the embezzlement was discovered during the sale of the company.
“Between January 2021 and May 2023, the woman worked as a bookkeeper at the commercial irrigation company where she was entrusted with access to the company’s funds. It is believed that during this time she wrote false invoices for work, deposited fraudulent cheques, used a company credit card for personal purchases and withdrew cash from corporate bank accounts,” Calgary police said in a statement Wednesday.
When the company was sold in April 2023, financial discrepancies were exposed and the bookkeeper refused to hand over important financial records. This set off alarm bells for the current owner, who carefully examined all financial documents and contacted police.
Laura Hunt, 60, a Calgary resident, has been charged with numerous fraud, forgery and theft charges Hunt’s court date is slated for May 1.
Calgary police advise businesses that have experienced fiscal loss due to fraud to report it on their non-emergency line at 403-428-1234.
Anyone with information about this incident can call police at 403-266-1234 or anonymously to Crime Stoppers 1-800-222-8477 and reference case: CA23225475/5341.