A P.E.I. woman who defrauded a Charlottetown company she worked for of more than $95,000 was sentenced Tuesday to nine months in jail.
Tammy Lynn Sullivan, 35, appeared before Judge John Douglas in provincial court in Charlottetown for sentencing after previously pleading guilty to one count of fraud.
The nine-month jail term with three years of probation was a joint recommendation from the Crown and defence.
Sullivan started working for Revolution Media in October 2016 as the company’s managing director.
At the same time, her employer allowed her to continue offering social media consulting work through her personal company East Coast Business Consulting and Marketing.
Sullivan would invoice those services to Revolution Media’s clients with payments going to her company.
According to an agreed statement of facts, Sullivan used a Revolution Media credit card 28 times over a span of about four months for unauthorized personal purchases starting in December 2017.
Sullivan didn’t repay the company the $21,168.80 she spent using the card.
Starting in April 2017, Sullivan invoiced Revolution Media through her company 34 times over a period of about four months for work not performed.
The total of the fraudulent invoices was $74,250.
Revolution Media representatives contacted Charlottetown police on Aug. 24 to report a possible theft from the business.
Sullivan admitted taking the money, and the company fired her.
She turned herself into police soon after and admitted the fraud.
In his submissions, Crown attorney Gerald Quinn said the offence had a significant impact on Revolution Media, and Sullivan defrauded the company of almost $100,000.
“That requires real jail,” he said.
Defence lawyer Brandon Forbes told the court Sullivan never tried to minimize what she did.
To say Sullivan wished she could go back to before the fraud would be an understatement, Forbes said.
“She’s embarrassed to be here.”
court heard more than a dozen people wrote letters of support for Sullivan.
Forbes said Sulllivan will have to carry and express her remorse for the rest of her life.
Sullivan also briefly addressed the court to apologize to the company’s owners, its staff and her family.
Before sentencing Sullivan, Douglas said she poses no threat to society.
“At this point, you are truly remorseful for what you did,” he said.
Sullivan will have to pay $95,418.80 in restitution and a $200 victim surcharge.
