A woman has been sentenced to two years' house arrest, three years of probation and has been fined $200,000 after pleading guilty to defrauding a Richmond-based marine company.
Deonne Kristy Petruk worked as a bookkeeper at Galleon Marine, on River Road, and defrauded the company of more than $200,000 between May 2017 and July 2020.
Justice Rose Raven, in her sentencing in Richmond Provincial Court on March 10, said aggravating factors included the fact the theft was “substantial,” it was from an employer who trusted Petruk and that trust was betrayed.
Furthermore, Raven said, the motivation was greed, the fraud took place over a period of time and was a “deceptive scheme.”
As a bookkeeper at Galleon Marine, Petruk deposited “unauthorized amounts” of money on "numerous occasions" into her own back account, Raven said.
Mitigating factors included the fact Petruk had no criminal record and she pleaded guilty.
Raven noted this was the most stable period of employment for Petruk, and the company was accommodating toward her as a single mother.
While it was possible to impose jail time, Raven put Petruk under house arrest for two years less a day given the “collateral consequences” regarding her son who might have had to relocate to another community if she were in jail.
House arrest conditions include not leaving her residence except in certain emergencies, community work of 120 hours, not possessing anyone else’s identity documents or anyone else’s account information.
Petruk is also not to have any contact with three Binstead family members, who are the owners of Galleon Marine.
The $200,000 restitution should be paid to Galleon Marine by March 1, 2035.
Crown prosecutor Jeffrey La Porte noted the harm to the victim was “significant.”
“The offender’s moral culpability is high in this case,” La Porte told the court prior to sentencing. “While she is a first-time offender, she engaged in the deliberate pattern of deception over a period of approximately three years, all while abusing her position of trust. She caused substantial losses to a family business.”
In a written victim impact statement, Ian Binstead said he felt “shocked, betrayed and embarrassed” because he had to tell his aging parents and brother that this had happened under his “watch.”
Petruk addressed the court and the victims, saying Galleon Marine and its owners were the “victim of circumstances.”
“You didn’t deserve it and for that I’m truly sorry,” Petruk said. She said she’s been living with the guilt of her actions for eight years.
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