Gambling addict guilty of fraud

Gambling addict guilty of fraud
By Tracy McLaughlin - Special to the Examiner
MIDLAND — A Midland bookkeeper who pilfered almost $1 million from her employer should do hard time in a penitentiary, a Crown attorney insisted on Monday.

Michele Walter, 48, managed to steal $973,990 in a sophisticated scheme of deception from almost the day she was hired as a bookkeeper for Morden Construction Inc., a family excavation and road building business based in Midland.

Walter, who has pleaded guilty to fraud, sat at the front of the court and hung her head as her lawyer told the court how she was driven by a gambling addiction and couldn't stop herself from stealing the money over an eight year period from 2000 to 2008.

"Ms. Walter is ashamed, embarrassed and humiliated by being involved in the justice system," said defence lawyer Ray Morehan.

"Her actions weren't motivated by greed —she was driven by addictions."

Court heard Walter's Casino Rama player's card showed she gambled away $750,000.

"She rationalized that she would win and be able to pay it back," Morehan said.

Court heard Walter also spent the money paying off personal credit card debts.

It wasn't until the company began some restructuring when one of the owners, Brian Morden, made plans to retire, that the stolen money came to light.

At first, the deceit drove a rift into the Morden family when fingers began pointing at each other.

A search warrant led to the homes of family members, but a further search warrant to the home of the bookkeeper turned up the ugly truth; Walter had been siphoning the money into her own husband's business, Omni-Cad designing and drafting, so that she could then withdraw the money for herself.


The Crown noted Walter has shown no remorse and has made no efforts to pay back even a dime to the Morden family.

"Ms Walter went to great lengths to deceive her employers — it was a sophisticated level of fraud," said Crown attorney Michelle Levasseur, who also noted the report from a probation officer noted that Walter would come to appointments under the influence of alcohol.

While her lawyer is asking for house arrest, the Crown is asking for three years in a Federal prison.

Outside court, Walter's family jeered at reporters as well as the victims, Brian Morden and his wife, Lynn, as they left the court.

Justice Michael Harpur will sentence Walter on Oct. 21.