Bankrupt, depressed Kelowna fraudster wins full parole despite opposition

A Kelowna fraudster who stole hundreds of thousands of government dollars in the name of vulnerable Indigenous youth will be fully paroled by the middle of July.

Robert Riley Saunders, 54, was granted a change in his parole this week. The Parole Board of Canada said in a decision published on Thursday that its members are satisfied that Saunders demonstrated the ability to manage his risk to re-offend appropriately during the period he had on day parole.

The decision is raising the ire of Indigenous community leaders who wrote to the parole board opposing Saunders release. They told the parole board they believe the harm Saunders caused has been profound and long-lasting and he hasn’t changed..

The parole board, however, took a different view of Saunders’s prospects for rehabilitation.

In addition to continuing with counselling, the board said Saunders found “positive sources of support,”  secured employment in “a field that does not provide the opportunity to commit further fraud.”

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His life will also have constraints that will limit his risk of defrauding anyone in a vulnerable position in the future or interacting with his past victims.

Notably, Saunders is not allowed to have direct or indirect contact with any child in the care of the Ministry of Children and Family Development, where he served as a guardianship worker from 2011 to 2018. Nor is he allowed to contact employees, former or current, at the minister or at organizations associated with child protection services in British Columbia.

He’ll also have to ensure his income and expenses are legitimate and he’s not permitted to hold a position of responsibility over finances.

While much of the board’s decision was focused on how Saunder’s risk will be controlled going forward, it also cast light on some of the non-legal consequences Saunders has been living with in recent years.  In the immediate aftermath for being caught for his crime, he attempted suicide and has struggled with depression ever since.

He lost contact with his children, who no longer speak with him, and was bankrupted.

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“As a result of a civil suit, (he) declared bankruptcy and were ordered to pay back the money (he) stole,” the parole board said. “To date, he has paid back approximately $157,000 through the sale of assets.”

Going forward Saunders does not expect paying back more, the parole board said.

Between July 2011 and January 2018, Saunders was a guardianship worker at the Ministry of Children and Family Development for over 60 Indigenous children/youth and these youth were commonly designated high-risk.

During that period he opened joint bank accounts with 24 of the high-risk youth assigned to his care.  The youth were often with him when he opened these accounts and he presented personal documentation for them.

In most instances, the youth did not have access to the account and he had no legitimate reason to open the accounts, which was contrary to Ministry policy.

During the time of his offences, he abused his authority to approve his own requests for funds, allegedly being provided to the youth in his care, the parole board said.

He also issued more than 850 ministry cheques made payable to the 24 youth with whom he held joint bank accounts, stating the cheques were for shelter and support payments for youth living outside of foster or group homes.

Only he accessed these funds, which amounted to at least  $462,385.

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Saunders was only caught when a colleague noticed an error in an application and investigated his activities further. He was suspended with pay from his position in January 2018, pending an internal investigation and in March 2018, and then suspended without pay and eventually terminated from the ministry.

The investigation discovered that he had also falsified his university degree and did not, in fact, have any degrees and was not accredited to be a social worker.