Image Credit: FACEBOOK: District of Summerland

In the summer of 2022 when 35-year-old Tracey Ann McEvoy left her job as an admin clerk at the District of Summerland to go and work for the City of Penticton's RCMP detachment, no one bothered to take her municipal government credit card from her.

She ranked up almost $44,000 of debt on the card in the months after she'd left the Summerland job.

Her fraudulent behaviour continued and while working at the Penticton RCMP she faked 32 timesheets and forged an RCMP corporal's signature. This netted her a further $8,100.

Today, Oct. 7, at the Penticton courthouse, she pleaded guilty to breach of trust of a public officer and fraud over $5,000.

"Even with processes and policies in place, and Ms. McEvoy undergoing a high-level security clearance, she underhandedly lied and claimed hours that she did not work," Crown prosecutor Emmanuelle Rouleau told the court.

The Crown said her behaviour was for her own financial gain and done with "malice."

The court heard how the crimes were not isolated or impulsive and had been premeditated and done repetitively netting her $52,000 in total.

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It's unclear how long McEvoy used the District of Summerland credit card, but it appears she was able to use it for one year after she left the job.

The timesheet fraud committed against the RCMP lasted for a little over a year from December 2021 until January 2023.

It's not clear what sparked the investigation into McEvoy, but once the RCMP discovered the faked timesheets it dug further and found the Summerland credit card issues.

The District of Summerland submitted a victim impact statement that said McEvoy's crimes were to the detriment of all residents of Summerland. The Penticton RCMP declined to submit a victim impact statement.

The court heard how she had since paid back the full $52,000 taken.

Defence lawyer Julian van der Walle said McEvoy had grown up in Surrey and had a very difficult childhood. Her father was a heroin addict, who had since died of an overdose. Her mother had passed away from cancer in 2014. Her mother's death had caused her to have a breakdown and she'd since been diagnosed with depression.

In 2021, she moved to the Okanagan with her husband.

van der Walle said she was having financial difficulties and would buy a laptop and other pricey goods on the Summerland credit card and then return it, having the money credited to her own credit card.

The court heard how she now works two jobs trying to make ends meet and has enrolled in a Bachelor of Science program through Thompson Rivers University.

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McEvoy's lawyer said his client was very remorseful and immediately after being arrested in May said she would plead guilty.

"These acts are more than just financial crimes, they are breaches of loyalty," Provincial Court Judge Greg Koturbash told the court. "Defrauding those who have placed their faith in you is an abuse of power, abuse of privilege, and it demands serious consequences. Trust can be especially fragile, especially in organizations that require high-security clearances."

In a joint submission, the lawyers said McEvoy should do six months of house arrest, followed by a further 10 months under a curfew.

McEvoy declined to say anything before being sentenced and sat in the courtroom teary-eyed.

Ultimately, the judge accepted the joint submission and sentenced her to six months of house arrest followed by the curfew.

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