A husband and wife have pleaded guilty to defrauding the volunteer search and rescue organization they were overseeing.
Brian and Marina Bishop held top jobs with the local branch of the Civil Air Search and Rescue Association, or CASARA, for three decades.
He was provincial president while she was secretary-treasurer when, in 2015, they began illegally directing funds to their own bank accounts—more than $80,000 over a six-year period, until it was discovered, they were confronted, and admitted the wrongdoing.
The Bishops, both in their early 70s, directed GST and HST rebates to a zone account—rebates the new executive were not aware of—and wrote cheques to themselves from that money.
They were also found to have issued expense cheques to themselves for flights that never occurred.
The current provincial president, Maurice Murphy, said the crimes deeply affected morale within the organization, saying members continue to feel dejected, deceived and embarrassed.
He said it was a chore to keep the group running amid the turmoil, adding it also affected the organization’s credibility.
As for why they did it, court heard it began with Brian Bishop’s medical issues that affected his work as an electrician, putting the couple in a financial hole.
The Crown is seeking a one-year conditional sentence followed by a year of probation, noting the Bishops had no criminal records, pleaded guilty, and paid all the money back.
Sentencing is scheduled for October 21.