Woman sentenced for defrauding gravel company

A judge has sentenced a Cornwallis woman to one year of house arrest after she defrauded the Brandon gravel business she worked for in 2022 of more than $14,000.

Danielle Davis, 32, pleaded guilty to fraud over $5,000 in Brandon provincial court on Wednesday.

The Crown and defence jointly recommended a one-year conditional sentence — house arrest — which Judge Patrick Sullivan accepted.

In April 2023, the owner of Tasmanian Gravel reported Davis had written and issued several business cheques to herself without his permission or knowledge while working for the company in the fall of 2022, Crown attorney Caroline Lacey said.

Davis had issued and deposited 14 cheques in the total amount of $14,232.38 into her bank account over the span of seven weeks, Lacey said.

Ahead of her sentencing hearing, Davis had put the full amount of restitution in a trust, which court heard will be paid back to the business.

The breach of trust, significant financial loss for the business and the fact that Davis repeatedly forged cheques are all aggravating factors, Lacey said.

“She did exploit her access to big business cheques for personal gain,” she said.

However, Lacey said there was “a lot to be said” in terms of the mitigating factors.

She said Davis doesn’t have a prior criminal record and has several documented mental-health issues that are linked to her “offending behaviour,” including a substance-abuse disorder and gambling disorder.

Since the offence, Davis has made “significant” rehabilitative efforts, including connecting with addictions and mental-health services and volunteering, Lacey said.

She added that Davis is remorseful.

“She says that she feels bad for the victim and that he was very nice to her,” Lacey said. “She says that she took advantage of him.”

Lacey said a sentence of house arrest can still reflect the seriousness of the offence.

While Davis is assessed as a high risk to reoffend given her history with substance abuse, anti-social patterns and employment instability, Lacey said she is actively addressing those risk areas through treatment, medication and strong supports she has in the community.

“She’s doing everything she can … to mitigate those risks, and again, that’s why I think her risk can easily be managed in the community under strict conditions,” Lacey said.

Defence lawyer Bob Harrison said Davis has completely turned her life around since the offence.

He said she didn’t spend the money on “luxurious items,” but instead used it to support her addictions. Now, she has been sober for about 14 months and has “taken almost every program that you could,” he said.

Harrison outlined the programs Davis has completed, adding that they were for extended periods and not just a few days or a week each.

“I don’t think, frankly, one could do much more,” Harrison said. “I’ve had a lot of clients over my career, and I don’t think I’ve had anybody do more than she’s done to deal with her issues.”

Sullivan said he was impressed with the lengths Davis has gone to address her underlying issues.

“This outcome would not have resulted had you not put in that work,” he said.

» sanderson@brandonsun.com