Charges have been laid against a Squamish accountant in fraud and theft investigation by North Vancouver RCMP.
On July 13, a business owner called the police to report a fraud that they suspected was committed by their accountant. The offences were reported to have occurred between May 2018 to June 2019. On December 21, 2020, a second business owner called North Vancouver RCMP after suspecting their accountant had defrauded the business of a large sum of money.
After a lengthy and complex investigation by North Vancouver RCMP, BC Prosecution Service has formally charged Allyson Steffensen of Squamish with four counts of fraud over $5,000 and four counts of Theft over $5,000. The charges allege that the two businesses had been defrauded of a total of approximately $200,000. She is listed as a part of the business services team at the local school board.
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“This was a technically complex investigation,” said Cst. Mansoor Sahak of the North Vancouver RCMP. “The length of time required to gather that evidence and present it to BC Prosecution Service offer an example of how complex fraud files can be, and the diligence and investigational expertise of the officers who brought this investigation to this point.”
“Reducing frauds is a priority for us. We have specialised units who use advanced investigative techniques to target these offences. We rely on the community to call us when they feel something is not right,” said Cst. Sahak.
