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B.C. man pleads guilty in fraud case

A B.C. man who defrauded his uncle of more than $14,000 will have to repay him over the next two years of his probation. Cordell Bruce Roper, 21, pleaded guilty to one count of fraud over $5,000.

A B.C. man who defrauded his uncle of more than $14,000 will have to repay him over the next two years of his probation.

Cordell Bruce Roper, 21, pleaded guilty to one count of fraud over $5,000.

He had originally been charged with 28 counts of forgery and 28 counts of uttering forged documents, but the Crown agreed to a plea to the single charge encompassing all of the crimes.

Roper came to St. Albert to live with and work for his uncle in June 2006.

In February 2007 after initially confronting his nephew, the uncle came to the St. Albert RCMP because he had noticed discrepancies in his banking statements.

The uncle found that 26 cheques he did not remember writing had been cashed.

Crown prosecutor William Wister said the cheques totalled approximately $14,600. Roper had stolen several at a time over the seven months he worked for his uncle, wrote them out to himself and cashed them.

According to Roper’s defence lawyer Mark Gotlieb, half of the money was gambled away while the other half was used for other purchases.

Gotlieb told the court Roper had a troubled childhood and used the money to experience things he had never experienced before.

When Roper was caught, he co-operated fully with police and has already started paying his uncle back.

Roper moved back to B.C. after the fraud came to light and police had difficulty locating him.

Gotlieb said this was simply bad communication and not Roper’s attempt to evade the law.

Judge Jeanne Burch admonished Roper before agreeing to the probationary term.

“You were placed in a position of trust to be able to do that and you essentially betrayed that trust.”

As part of the probationary term Roper will have to submit to any counselling his probation officer recommends.

Burch said she found it difficult to believe that there wasn’t more behind Roper’s crime.

“There is something underlying this of a psychological nature.”

She also ordered him to set up a schedule with the probation officer to pay his uncle back.

She said she expected the schedule would take up most of his disposable income and she wanted to see he was making constant progress.

“I don’t care if it is your cigarette money or your going out for beer on Friday night money — it is someone else’s now.”

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