Kamloops bookkeeper sentenced after failed casino bid to win back stolen $50K – CastanetKamloops.net
Wednesday, Sep 16
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Kamloops bookkeeper sentenced after failed casino bid to win back stolen $50K
Stolen cash lost at casino
A former Western Canada Theatre bookkeeper who stole more than $50,000 from her employer and then went to the casino in a failed attempt to win it back has been sentenced to house arrest.
Carol Lynn Ruth Friesen, 59, was handed a conditional sentence of two years less a day after pleading guilty Monday in Kamloops provincial court to fraud over $5,000.
Friesen began working for Western Canada Theatre in July 2024 and was responsible for receiving cash from concession, box-office and coat-check revenues and preparing bank deposits.
Crown prosecutor Anthony Varesi said Friesen began stealing cash in October 2024. The theft came to light in September last year, when she told the theatre company’s executive director she had done “a really bad thing.”
During a subsequent meeting with the organization’s accountant ahead of an audit, she admitted pocketing about $50,000.
Court heard Friesen started by taking a few thousand dollars and intended to repay it, but the theft soon spiralled. She told her employer she had been drinking heavily and was spending the stolen money at the casino in hopes of winning enough to pay it back.
An audit determined Friesen stole $50,224.22 between October 2024 and September 2025. Her employment was terminated after her confession.
Western Canada Theatre recovered $50,000 through insurance and was left out $224.22. Friesen was ordered to repay that amount.
Defence lawyer Joe Killoran said Friesen had struggled with alcohol since she was a teenager and developed a significant gambling problem that “was like kerosene on a fire.”
He said Friesen is now sober, no longer gambling and receiving counselling. She had no prior criminal record and pleaded guilty at the earliest opportunity.
Kamloops provincial court Judge Chris Balison said the amount stolen and Friesen’s breach of trust were aggravating, but her confession, remorse and efforts to address her addictions weighed in her favour. He went along with a joint submission from Varesi and Killoran.
A conditional sentence order, commonly referred to as house arrest, allows an offender to serve a jail sentence in the community under strict conditions.
Friesen must obey a nightly curfew from 9 p.m. to 6 a.m., abstain from alcohol, attend counselling and complete 50 hours of community service, in addition to the modest restitution she will have to pay.
She must also disclose the conviction to any potential or current employer and submit a sample of her DNA to police for inclusion in a national criminal database.
In a statement to Castanet, WCT’s board said it is empathetic to the circumstances that led to Friesen’s offending, but has a fiduciary duty to its members and a “zero-tolerance policy on theft and fraud.”
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