A former city worker in the Laurentian town of Brownsburg-Chatham has been sentenced to pay nearly $25,000 in fines for misappropriating public funds for personal use.
Manon Cayen, who was a customer service clerk for the municipality, pleaded guilty to tax fraud on March 23 at the Saint-Jérôme courthouse, admitting that she embezzled $5,587.90 in 19 transactions with members of the public between 2018 and 2019, according to Quebec's anti-corruption police squad, UPAC.
The squad said in a release that when residents came to her to make cash payments for tax bills or permits, she would immediately cancel the transaction after they left, keep the cash, and alter the record to show a $0 balance owed by the citizen.
"A total of 14 false or misleading entries were made in the City of Brownsburg-Chatham records in 2018 and 2019, totaling $12,571.60," UPAC said.
She also pleaded guilty to failing to include $4,786.90 on her 2018 tax return and failing to file her tax return for 2019.
She was ordered to pay a total of $24,447.96 in fines.
Her conviction was the result of a joint Revenu Quebec and UPAC investigation.
