Nova Scotia RCMP have charged a woman for allegedly defrauding a church of a quarter-million dollars over 12 years, while she sat as the bookkeeper.
Police say they first received a complaint from the public about “financial irregularities” at a church in West Chezzetcook, N.S., in July of 2019.
After the Archdiocese of Halifax and Yarmouth launched an internal investigation and provided their findings to police in late 2020, RCMP said in a release that they had determined that the church’s bookkeeper had been committing suspected fraud.
RCMP say it gathered evidence in a “long-term investigation,” that led to the charges announced on Friday.
Police said between July 2008 and January 2020, 47-year-old Patricia Dixon allegedly committed fraud in excess of $250,000 at the church, which the RCMP don’t name.
“The woman used her position as the parish’s bookkeeper to access funds from the parish’s bank accounts for personal use,” reads the RCMP release.
Police say Dixon also “established recurring payments made to various establishments offering products and services within Nova Scotia.”
Police say Dixon, who is from the Halifax suburb of East Chezzetcook, is facing the following charges:
- three counts of fraud over $5,000
- three counts possession of property obtained by crime
- trafficking in identity information
- identity fraud
- falsification of books and documents
- uttering forged documents
RCMP say she was released from custody and is set to appear in court May 3.
Church closed since 2018
While police did not name the church, RCMP spokesperson Cpl. Chris Marshall said it was located on Highway 207. The only church on that road in the area is Saint Anselm’s Roman Catholic Church, which closed in November 2018.
According to the group Friends of St. Anselm’s Society, which started a petition that year to reopen the church, parishioners were told the closure was due to black mould and would be temporary.
However, the society alleged that communication with the archdiocese was limited and they were never told when the church would be reopened. The archdiocese would later announce in June of 2019 that the closure would be permanent.
In a statement to Global News Friday, the society — which has since changed its name to the St. Anselm Preservation Society — said its efforts are focused on the reopening of the church.
“Our Society efforts have always been directed to obtaining the complete truth and transparency of the circumstances surrounding our church closure,” it said.
“We promote Truth, Transparency and Accountability. Our Society is fully cooperating with this ongoing criminal investigation. We do not wish to hinder or interfere in any way, so we do not have any additional comments at this time.”
While police only mentioned one church, the Archdiocese of Halifax and Yarmouth said in a statement that a former “lay employee” of Saint John of the Cross Parish was charged with several counts of fraud, forgery and theft.
It said the archdiocese held an investigation that revealed “financial irregularities,” which led to an independent audit in December 2020. A complaint was also filed with Halifax Regional Police.
Archdiocese spokesperson Aurea Sadi said Saint Anselm’s was a part of Saint John of the Cross Parish until its closure in 2018 due to an “extensive mould issue.”
“In 2020, the eight churches on the Eastern Shore became Saint John of the Cross Parish,” she said in an email. “Since then a variety of other circumstances have lead to the permanent closure of the Saint Anselm Church building as well as 4 other church buildings.”
According to a letter sent to Saint John of the Cross parishioners over the weekend, St. Anselm’s closure was due to “numerous factors,” including a debt of $875,000 to the archdiocese and hundreds of thousands more in necessary repairs.
“With these staggering amounts, the parish obviously had a structural financial problem,” it said.
“The subsequent discovery of theft and fraud, even though it was quite substantial, does not impact the decision to close the church. The church will remain closed.”
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