Stirling man sentenced for defrauding employer out of more than $541,000

While outlining his decision, Judge Gerald Debow called the fraudulent activity a means to support a “high-rolling lifestyle.” He added that it was aggravating that Evanson’s actions were planned and deliberate, and that he was in a position of trust.

As for mitigating factors, Debow noted that Evanson’s pre-sentence report was mostly positive, he had no prior criminal record, and has taken responsibility to repay the money he stole. Debow then acknowledged that the crime has taken a toll on Evanson’s personal life, as he has lost his licence as an insurance broker and has been excommunicated from his church. He also pointed out that Evanson is currently undergoing addictions recovery counselling.

When given a chance to read his victim impact statement in court, Schwartz President Dave Howe said Evanson was “not a sorry, nor a changed man.”

Facts of the case

The first fraudulent activity occurred in November of 2007, when a client requested a cancellation of their insurance policy. Instead of putting it into the system and receiving a reduced commission, Evanson reported that the client renewed their policy, which resulted in a personal gain of $68.88.

In 2008, Evanson defrauded the company out of $5,790, with the numbers ballooning in the following years, reaching an annual high of $88,440.99 in 2016. In total, he managed to obtain $541,370.77 between November 2007 and September 2016.

It was determined that he created fake client accounts, altered existing ones, reported that he sold policies when he had not, reported he renewed polices that he had not, failed to record when policies were reduced or cancelled, improperly entered inflated commission percentages and entered the same commissions more than once.

After submitting the false reports, Evanson would then go back into the computer system and delete the inputs to hide the inflated amounts that he had claimed.

It all came to light in September of 2016, when Schwartz learned that Evanson had not properly documented a client’s request to cancel their insurance policy. They also found that he had created a fake client account, which led the company to start investigating more of his accounts.

When confronted by partners at Schwartz in October of 2016, Evanson admitted to the fraud, saying he did it because he had been living beyond his means. He was promptly fired, and police were contacted.

Subsequent reviews of his bank records showed he used the money to make mortgage, car, credit card and insurance payments, and to pay for day to day living expenses for himself and his family.

by Patrick Burles - @PatrickBurles on Twitter

Stirling man sentenced for defrauding employer out of more than $541,000

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