Last of six sentenced in charity fraud
Joshua Terrance Smith, 24, pleads guilty, ordered to re-pay $15,430
The last of six people who schemed to fix a weekly 50/50 charity draw has pleaded guilty and been sentenced.
Joshua Terrance Smith, 24, pleaded guilty Monday in Charlottetown provincial court.
Judge John Douglas sentenced him to 12 months' probation and 50 hours' community service.
The judge also ordered Smith to pay restitution to the victim of the fraud, Murphy's Community Centre in Charlottetown.
Smith's lawyer told court his client has already repaid $12,430.00 with another $3,000 still to come.
Those figures represent the money Smith received after his name was drawn January 22.
Monday's sentencing brings to an end the series of court appearances in recent weeks by six offenders.
Court heard the scheme was devised by a former employee of Murphy's Community Centre, Simon Gabriel Edison Hood, 23.
Four fraudulent draws
Hood conducted four fraudulent draws between January and June.
On each occasion, court heard, Hood schemed to split the winnings with people he recruited to buy tickets for the draw.
Hood personally conducted each of the fraudulent draws and intentionally selected each winning name from the ballot box.
Court heard, he placed the ballots in a specific location inside the box to ensure the pre-selected name would be drawn.
Charlottetown police were tipped off to the scheme in June.
Accomplices sentenced earlier
Hood received five months of house arrest in addition to 12 months' probation and 50 hours of community service, and was ordered to pay restitution.
In addition to Hood and Smith, four other offenders have been sentenced.
Brother and sister accomplices Michelle Lynn McKenna, 31, and Joshua Tyler McKenna, 23, were both sentenced to one year probation and 50 hours of community service. Neither sibling received any money from the draws.
Anthony Michael Cummiskey, 25, and Mark Patrick Griffin, 29, got the same penalty, and were ordered to pay restitution.
The incidents cost Murphy's Community Centre $56,456 as a result of having to re-do the four draws that were conducted fraudulently.
None of the offenders has a prior criminal record.
- MORE P.E.I. NEWS | Spring Valley woman pleads not guilty to animal cruelty charge
- MORE P.E.I. NEWS | How green is your tree? LEDs vs incandescents