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Kelowna woman jailed for Nanaimo hospice fraud

Susan Steen, who is accused of stealing more than $100,000 from the Central Okanagan Hospice Association, was sentenced to four months in jail this week for defrauding a Nanaimo hospice. Global News

A woman charged with fraud and theft from a Kelowna hospice has been jailed in Nanaimo for similar crimes.

Susan Steen is accused of stealing more than $100,000 from the Central Okanagan Hospice Association while she worked there between 2012 and 2016. In conjunction, Melanie Gray is accused of stealing $69,000, both by using the hospice’s credit card.

In November, Global News contacted Steen, who admits she made mistakes and that she was dealing with a gambling problem.

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“A profound gambling problem, actually,” she said over the phone.

WATCH BELOW: (Aired Dec. 11, 2018) Extended interview with an alleged Kelowna hospice fraudster.

Click to play video: 'Extended interview with alleged Kelowna hospice fraudster'
Extended interview with alleged Kelowna hospice fraudster

After Steen left Kelowna, she was hired as the executive director for the Nanaimo Community Hospice Society. There, she stole about $6,000 before being caught and fired.

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Steen plead guilty to that theft in April. Nanaimo media say that on Thursday, a judge sentenced the 71-year-old to four months in jail, two years of probation and $17,000 in restitution.

Steen and Gray are back in Kelowna court on January 8th.

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