U of L sign -- LNN

By Connor Gunn

Woman charged with theft of more than $500,000 from U of L

Apr 28, 2021 | 1:26 PM

LETHBRIDGE, AB– A Lethbridge woman has been charged with multiple theft charges after stealing half a million dollars from her employer.

The Lethbridge Police Service Economic Crimes Unit (ECU) has concluded the investigation which began in 2018.

Police say the investigation began when the woman’s employer, the University of Lethbridge, contacted Lethbridge Police after detecting a potential fraud through their internal processes.

Donna Court, 57, allegedly used her position with the U of L to falsify records and conceal the theft of more than $500,000 over a period of a year.

Court is being charged with:

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• fraud over $5,000
• theft over $5,000
• possession of stolen property over $5,000

Police say the woman has been released from custody and is scheduled to appear in court on June 29, 2021.

The following statement was provided by the U of L:

“In March 2018, University of Lethbridge employees discovered a fraud perpetrated by a fellow employee. This week, Lethbridge Police Services (LPS) arrested and charged this individual with multiple offenses. The LPS statement can be found here.

This employee, with more than 30 years of experience at the University, abused her detailed knowledge of the financial systems of the U of L and falsified records to conceal the estimated theft of $580,000.

Staff in Financial Services detected the fraud and were able to identify the individual responsible. On discovery of the fraud, the identified individual was immediately terminated from her employment at the University.

University Senior Administration, Internal Audit, the University of Lethbridge Board of Governors, the Office of the Auditor General of the Province of Alberta, Lethbridge Police Services, and the Government of Alberta were immediately notified of the situation. A team of external forensic investigators was subsequently engaged to conduct a thorough investigation. The final report of the investigators was received by the Audit Committee of the Board of Governors, and the U of L shared that report, along with detailed information pertaining to the theft, with Lethbridge Police Services in support of their criminal investigation.

The University carries fraud insurance to protect itself from situations such as this and the investigation report was an important part of the claims process. The U of L reached an agreement with its insurer that saw the institution recover the vast majority of the missing funds.

While the criminal proceedings are underway, the U of L is unable to provide any additional comment on this matter.”