Pleaded guilty to defrauding the province
By MARIA CALABRESE The Nugget
A government
worker preyed on the poorest in the province by stealing $10,676 in repayments
from 19 different disabled residents receiving social assistance.
Catherine Chaput, 46, pleaded
guilty Tuesday to defrauding the Ministry of Community and Social Services by
expropriating funds from the Ontario Disability Support Program between Oct.
12, 2006 and July 16, 2009.
Chaput will be sentenced May 3 so
probation services can prepare a report for the judge to learn more about her
background.
North Bay Police Service arrested
her in June 2010 after receiving complaints of an employee stealing funds.
The Ontario Disability Support
Program helps people with disabilities pay for living expenses like food and
housing, according to the ministry website.
It says support is based on family
size, income, assets and housing costs and can help with benefits for drugs, dental
work, vision, hearing aids, transportation costs to medical appointments and
other items or services.
An agreed statement of facts says
19 residents tried to give 30 support program overpayments back to the
province.
It says Chaput admitted to defrauding
the province by keeping the overpayments, leaving no record for the clients on
assistance who repaid the money.
North Bay Nugget - Woman gets 60 days for ODSP fraud
www.pressdisplay.com/pressdisplay/viewer.aspx?...
9 Jun 2011 – Catherine Chaput expressed remorse to Judge Jean-Gilles Lebel
Wednesday for taking the money at a ... Woman gets 60 days for ODSP fraud ...
Ron Payne
Welfare Legal
Hamilton, Ontario
