(JENNIFER STAHN / iNFOnews.ca)

A woman who defrauded an elderly Merritt bank client out of thousands of dollars will spend 12 months under house arrest.

Hope Moira Donna Thomas, 41, pleaded guilty a year ago and was sentenced today, June 9, after several delays.

While working as a financial advisor at CIBC, she defrauded the bank and a 70-year-old client of more than $150,000.

Of that total, $93,000 came directly from the woman's accounts. Thomas then applied for lines of credit and loans in the victim's name to transfer more funds into her own account.

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A provincial court judge in Kamloops sentenced her to a 24-month conditional sentence followed by 24 months of probation.

"That's a lot of money and that's a lot of hardship on people," Judge Raymond Phillips said. "You were at a time in your life where things were going poorly, but that's no excuse."

The victim was not only Thomas' client, she was also her ex-husband's grandmother.

Thomas was addicted to cocaine at the time, using the funds to feed her habit from January 2018 to October 2019.

She worked at the bank for 12 years, starting as a teller before she was promoted to the role of financial advisor.

She told the court she was in an abusive relationship with her husband in Merritt and he had an affair, which is what led her to start using cocaine recreationally.

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That turned into an addiction and the money she took helped feed the habit and pay her bills, her lawyer previously told the court.

"I wish I never did any of this," she said through tears that day. "I destroyed my life and I'm trying to do better and be better."

CIBC repaid the elderly client the $93,000, but Thomas is on the hook to repay the bank along with a $300,000 fine from the Mutual Fund Dealers Association for her fraud.

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Crown prosecutors sought a one to two year prison sentence, while Thomas' defence was seeking a 24-month conditional sentence.

"The question before me is how can these parties reasonably expect Thomas to repay the funds while in custody," Justice Phillips said. "I find a conditional sentence order is available and is appropriate in the circumstances."

She can no longer work in a banking institution, so she's taken on hairdressing instead.

Her first 12 months will be spent on house arrest in her home in Lake Country. She's leaving Merritt because of the shame and embarrassment she felt in the community. She will be permitted to travel to work and to a healthcare facility for an emergency.

"What I felt when I imposed the conditional sentence order is it's important for you to recover and pay back those fines, and the only way you can do that is if you're working," Justice Phillips said.

Thomas will then serve six months of her sentence under a curfew, while she attends treatment for alcoholism or drug use that is assigned her. The remainder will include similar conditions to her 24-month probation.

She's not allowed to have any contact with the victim, who's now in her 80s, except for an apology letter she's been ordered to write.

Thomas said very few words in court as Phillips read out her sentence, aside from confirming she understood her conditions.

She previously told the court she was living her "dream life" before her cocaine addiction and the fraud.

"I let myself spiral out of control."

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