In an Edmonton courtroom Friday, a woman was handed a sentence stemming from a fraud scheme that involved dozens of victims.
Carmelita Del Rosario, 42, had pleaded guilty to two counts of fraud, charges she faced in connection to a Ponzi scheme that involved 49 victims.
Between 2009 and 2012, when Del Rosario was working as an accounting clerk for the Worker’s Compensation Board, she tricked her victims into handing over $1.8 million, under the guise of buying into an ‘investment plan’.
A small amount of that money has been recovered, but the total loss for the victims is still close to $1.2 million.
That money was gambled away by Del Rosario, who is addicted to gambling.
On Friday, Del Rosario was sentenced to five years in prison.
In her decision, the judge said the amount of planning, number of victims and the devastating impact was all taken into account.
The Crown was seeking a six-year sentence for Del Rosario, while her lawyer had asked for four years.
A number of the victims have also launched a civil suit against Del Rosario, in an effort to recoup some of the money lost.
With files from Bill Fortier
