Edmonton police civilian staffer admits to stealing for gambling
- October 9th, 2012
Edmonton Police Headquarters
Credits: TOM BRAID/QMI AGENCY
EDMONTON - A former civilian employee with the Edmonton Police Service has admitted to stealing nearly $85,000 from the community cadet program to fuel his gambling addiction.
John Alvin Jerke, 36, pleaded guilty Tuesday in provincial court to one count of fraud over $5,000.
According to agreed facts, Jerke was hired in 2003 as the youth programs co-ordinator and was responsible for the recruitment, selection and training, of the not-for-profit volunteer cadets. He was terminated on May 27, 2011.
In early 2009, parent support for the cadets had waned and some volunteer positions with the 189th Parent Group were left vacant for significant periods of time.
As a result, financial controls had been eroded and Jerke took on the responsibility of receiving the bank statements for the group and advising them that he had reconciled the statements and the books were in good order.
In June 2009, Jerke began taking advantage of the trust placed in him and was not following the earlier financial rule of submitting receipts for items purchased before getting a reimbursement cheque.
Over the next two years, Jerke requested 55 reimbursements for $147,000 worth of goods and services using falsified receipts. Of the 55 requests, 39 of them, for a total of $84,619, were reimbursed to Jerke.
The frauds were uncovered when a new group treasurer began insisting on receipts being provided before reimbursements and Jerke submitted further bogus receipts she suspected were forgeries. She then went to police.
Jerke initially admitted that some of the receipts were fake, but pegged the value at about $7,000. He later bumped it up to $20,000, but never the actual amount.
No restitution has yet been made.
A review of Jerke's financial records and his personal life suggests that he "spent the money at casinos and VLTs." Jerke has admitted having a gambling problem and was seen several times playing VLTs with a wad of $100 bills.
As a result of the fraud, the group was struck from the Alberta Gaming and Liquor Commission's list of charitable companies which could receive gaming revenues.
The group was also struck from a list of charitable organizations by Service Alberta.
As well, the cadet program's insurance was cancelled due to non-payment, leaving the group exposed to loss in event of an insurable incident, and vendors began using collection agencies to recoup losses as Jerke had left the group with about $20,000 in outstanding debt to vendors.
The police cadets program, established more than 50 years ago, is a joint venture between city cops and a group of parent volunteers. The cadets are between the ages of 14 and 20.
A pre-sentence report was ordered on Jerke, who remains free on bail, and a sentencing hearing was scheduled for Jan. 7.
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