(JENNIFER STAHN / iNFOnews.ca)

A former Merritt financial advisor told a provincial court judge she "destroyed" her own life when she stole thousands of dollars from an elderly client to feed a cocaine habit.

Hope Moira Donna Thomas, 41, said she was living her "dream life" before she defrauded an elderly couple and her employer, a local bank.

She pleaded guilty to fraud over $5,000 last year after she stole $93,000 directly from the couple's bank accounts. At the time, she was their financial advisor and family — they were her ex-husband's grandparents — lawyers explained in a Kamloops provincial courtroom Thursday, May 18.

Thomas also applied for lines of credit and loans in their names, then withdrew money from those accounts with a card she kept for herself.

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

She was originally charged with three counts of fraud, but those were reduced to a single charge. Thomas pleaded guilty last May for fraud that lasted from January 2018 to October 2019.

She appeared in court this week for a sentencing hearing, but provincial court judge Raymond Phillips said he needed more time to make his decision after lawyers submitted what they believed to be an appropriate sentence.

The Crown is seeking one to two years in prison, while Thomas' defense lawyer, Mason Goulden, suggested a 24-month conditional sentence.

She took a total $151,100 when taking into account the loans and lines of credit she applied for under her clients' names. Her former employer, Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce, repaid $93,000 to the couple, but will be seeking restitution from Thomas for the full amount owed.

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She worked for the bank for 12 years, starting as a teller before working her way up to the financial advisor position. 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.

That turned into an addiction and the money she took helped feed the habit and pay her bills, Goulden said.

"I let myself spiral out of control," she said.

Her scheme was described by the Crown as "sophisticated" and she continued for nearly two years before she was caught. An internal fraud investigation at CIBC caught her and she admitted to the fraud as soon as she was confronted, the court heard.

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It began with simple transactions from the client's account to her own, but that required using her own CIBC credentials. She later began making ATM withdrawals from a card in the client's name and applying for the lines of credit and loans. She also changed their bank statements from mailed letters to strictly online access, making it difficult for her clients to track their funds, the court heard.

She's since moved from Merritt, her reputation in the small community "shot," Goulden said.

She started working at an automotive dealership in the Kootenays until she was let go because of the ongoing fraud charges against her, eventually moving to the Okanagan to work as a hairstylist.

Goulden said the shame and humiliation she endured in Merritt should be considered as part of her consequences, since news coverage over the years has affected her reputation.

He said she has regularly received messages from people responding to what she did. One comment read in court was: "die and rot in hell."

While she is facing possible jail time and restitution to repay the bank, Thomas is also facing a $300,000 fine from the Mutual Fund Dealers Association of Canada.

"She held a position of trust with the client who was elderly and vulnerable, whom she exploited in order to steal money for her own personal use," an April 25 decision reads.

The association's decision also says she failed to attend the hearings. Goulden said she was not even aware of the proceedings at the association, despite public notice on its website.

Phillips will be sentenced in June. Until then, she remains free on bail.

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