The City of Abbotsford and Abbotsford Police Board are suing a former board employee for allegedly embezzling close to $200,000 worth of taxpayers’ money.
Court documents show Shelley Dallas Mickens was employed by the police board as the director of Abbotsford Police Department’s (APD) finance and budget branch from April 1999 until June of last year.
Mickens was not permitted to use the APD’s funds for her personal benefit, but is alleged to have taken at least $192,000 in cash that belonged to the City of Abbotsford or, alternately the Police Board.
The documents suggest Mickens misappropriated the funds by preparing petty cash vouchers that contained false or misleading information, making misleading entries in the accounting record keeping system and providing misleading information to members of the APD who questioned the transactions.
It is alleged Mickens used some of the misappropriated funds to purchase and maintain a property in Abbotsford.
The lawsuit claims the funds Mickens had allegedly misappropriated could have been used by the board to pay for community programs and services in Abbotsford.
The plaintiffs are looking to recover the embezzled funds, and want a declaration that the debt owed by Mickens is the result of fraud and misappropriation.
None of the allegations have been proven in court.