OTTAWA – Mike Duffy’s fitness regime was the subject of testimony at his fraud trial Thursday as court heard he billed taxpayers more than $10,000 over three years to “consult” with a personal trainer who took no notes, made no preparations and which resulted in no legible work.
Mike Croskery, who owns his own company and bills himself as a “certified exercise physiologist,” testified that he started personal training with Duffy at his Kanata, Ont. home in December 2007.
The regime included biking, gentle stretches and some resistance training, Croskery said.
After Duffy became a senator in December 2008, Croskery continued training Duffy but in 2010 the work turned to “consulting,” he testified.
At that time, Duffy told Croskery to invoice two companies linked to Duffy’s friend Gerald Donohue: Maple Ridge Media, which later became Insulated Concrete Forms (ICF).
The Crown alleges Duffy illegally funnelled $65,000 worth of Senate contracts through Donohue’s businesses, in order to pay for services that were not covered under legitimate Senate rules.
READ MORE: Mike Duffy trial: Duffy may have expensed Barbara Bush photograph, court hears
Duffy has pleaded not guilty to 31 charges including fraud, breach of trust and one bribery charge.
Croskery testified Duffy told him what to invoice, and how much to bill.
The invoices were: $3150 in 2010, $3390 in 2011 and $3559 in 2012, according to documents, which added up to almost $10,100 over three years.
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“Let’s do this as consulting,” Croskery testified Duffy told him.
Croskery said Duffy told him he was working on a project about older Canadians’ health and fitness.
But the trainer could remember few specific conversations, citing one about baby boomers and whether they would live longer than the previous generation.
READ MORE: ‘To Duff’: Harper wrote handwritten thank you to Duffy, court hears
At times, Croskery said, Duffy would stop and type something on his computer.
They also talked about distribution of the project, which in 2011 Duffy told Croskery to call “the Age Wave” in subsequent invoices, and whether it should be done on a CD or webpage.
“Did you get any sense from the senator about how the project was progressing over those years?” Crown prosecutor Jason Neubauer asked.
“No,” Croskery said.
Croskery said Duffy told him the project never got “traction” among other senators, who wanted to support projects about other topics such as cyberbullying.
Of some 180 sessions over three years, Croskery said about 165 to 170 included some form of exercise.
According to his CV, Croskery has worked as a consultant for 20 years and has a bachelor’s degree of science in human kinetics. He’s taught at Algonquin College in Ottawa and worked with diverse groups from Olympians to the RCMP.
He also wrote two books on weight training in the early 2000s, he testified.
In his cross-examination, Duffy’s lawyer, Donald Bayne, asked Croskery if he had a long and broad consulting resume, to which Croskery agreed he did.
Bayne coined the term “Mike Duffy fitness” to suggest his client was not at the same physical fitness level of Croskery’s other clients, and could therefore carry on a conversation while doing other things.
“I don’t mean to make fun of senator Duffy but he’s not at the level of some of the people you deal with,” Bayne said.
The defence lawyer also referred a time sheet prepared by Croskery that showed 127.5 hours worked, although upon re-examination by the Crown, Croskery said he prepared the document after meeting with Bayne in early 2014.
Earlier Thursday, court heard from both a makeup artist and a volunteer from Duffy’s office.
Makeup artist Jacqueline Lambert testified that she invoiced $300 to Maple Ridge Media after doing a makeup job for both Duffy and Prime Minister Stephen Harper in May 2010.
READ MORE: Was Duffy ordered to book a makeup artist for Harper?
And Ashley Cain, who now works for the prime minister’s office, was mailed a $500 cheque from Maple Ridge Media after volunteering in Duffy’s office for a few months in the winter and spring of 2010.
The trial is expected to hear from several more recipients of the Donohue contract money on Friday.
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