AIDS PEI ex-head gets house arrest, community work for fraud
Angela MacKinnon used stolen money for home expenses, online dating
Last Updated: Tuesday, December 15, 2009 | 10:22 PM AT
CBC News
Angela MacKinnon was sentenced to one year of house arrest and 240 hours of community service on Tuesday. (CBC)The former head of AIDS PEI was sentenced Tuesday to one year of house arrest and 240 hours of community service for stealing more than $80,000 from the organization.
Angela MacKinnon, the program co-ordinator at AIDS PEI from April 2005 to March 2008, will also be on probation for two years.
MacKinnon, who was sentenced in Charlottetown provincial court, has been ordered to pay back stolen money totalling $80,913. The sum is approximately a quarter of the organization's total budget during the time that she was the program co-ordinator.
The Crown had asked that the 35-year-old woman be sentenced to six to nine months in jail.
Mark Hanlon, the executive director of AIDS PEI, said although the ordeal is over, the organization is still feeling the pain.
"I'm not sure what we were expecting to tell you the truth. I think a lot of clients and certainly board members probably wanted jail time to fit the crime," he said.
"In this case, you know, the judge thought house arrest would suffice given the circumstances — both Ms. MacKinnon circumstances and our circumstances — and if that's what he feels is appropriate, then so be it."
Mark Hanlon, the executive director of AIDS PEI. (CBC)In handing down the sentence, chief provincial court Judge John Douglas said the ruling was in no way a "gift from Santa."
He said a short sentence in jail is not as severe as the sentence he gave MacKinnon, and added that MacKinnon's nine-month-old child would suffer if she was taken to jail.
Hanlon said he did not believe there were ill feelings toward MacKinnon.
"What happened, happened. And I think everybody involved needs to move on at this point and let's put it behind us."
MacKinnon used AIDS PEI cheques and credit cards in more than 100 separate transactions to pay for gas, groceries, liquor, home heating fuel, online dating services, airline tickets and restaurant meals.
She pleaded guilty in August to theft and fraud over $5,000.
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