A former employee of a Kamloops-area First Nations band who admitted to stealing more than $125,000 from her employer to finance a gambling habit will spend a year in prison.
Betty Antoine, 62, pleaded guilty in Kamloops provincial court to one count of theft over $5,000.
She spent 10 years working in the office of the Bonaparte Indian Band, northwest of Cache Creek, before her theft came to light.
Court heard Antoine stole $126,000 over a two-year span. The band claims she actually stole an amount closer to $176,000.
In a report filed in court, Antoine, a Scandinavian immigrant who married into a First Nations family in her 20s, said she felt frustrated at work and claimed she was passed over for raises and promotions because of her white skin.
“She expressed that she felt singled out over being Caucasian and therefore treated poorly by certain staff and band members,” provincial court Judge Stella Frame said in her sentencing decision, noting an “apparent lack of remorse” in the comments.
“She felt she was owed financial compensation for all of the extra work she had done,” Frame said.
Defence lawyer Eric Rines proposed a three-year probation term for Antoine, while Crown prosecutor Chris Balison suggested a jail sentence of at least one year.
Frame sided with the Crown.
“There was a very significant harm done to a vulnerable community and a breach of trust of Ms. Antoine’s employer,” Frame said. “The impact is more far-reaching than the sum of money lost.”
In addition to 12 months behind bars, Frame also ordered Antoine to spend a further 18 months on probation.
The judge also ordered Antoine to repay $126,000 to the Bonaparte Indian Band.
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