The former executive director of the Corner Brook Downtown Business Association has been charged with numerous offences stemming from the police investigation into the organization’s finances.
According to documents recently sworn by the Royal Newfoundland Constabulary at provincial court, Nicole McKinnon of Corner Brook has been charged with 19 offences.
The court documents allege McKinnon defrauded the association of nearly $64,000 between April and October of last year.
In addition to four counts of fraud over $5,000 and 12 counts of fraud under $5,000, McKinnon is also charged with possession of property obtained by crime, unauthorized use of credit card data, breaking and entering and committing an indictable offence.
The Downtown Business Association made it publicly known late last November that it had suspended its operations the month previous after a financial issue had been discovered. The association said it had notified the RNC, which subsequently launched an investigation.
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While most of the offences McKinnon is accused of are alleged to have happened in October or the six months leading up to that date, three of them are alleged to have happened in November.
The court documents allege McKinnon defrauded the DBA of an amount of money not exceeding $5,000 sometime between Nov. 5-22, 2018, broke into the DBA office sometime between Nov. 12-13, 2018 and had cheques belonging to the DBA in her possession sometime between Nov. 12-21.
While court information pertaining to 14 of the fraud charges refer to the specific amounts in question, two of them do not. Those two include the charge stemming from the offences alleged to have happened in November 2018 and a single count of fraud in relation to the unauthorized use of a credit card last October.
Court documents indicate the credit card belonged to a DBA volunteer board member.
The amounts of money McKinnon is accused of misappropriating in the 14 counts where amounts are specified range from $989 to $11,200.
McKinnon is scheduled to make her first appearance at provincial court in Corner Brook on July 23.
The Western Star’s attempts to contact McKinnon for comment were not successful as of deadline.
Robby Ash, a DBA board member who has served as the organization’s spokesperson since this financial issue came to light, would not comment on the matters now before the courts.
The Western Star also asked the RNC if any more charges were anticipated, but there was no reply.
The DBA used to get most of its funding from a levy collected by the City of Corner Brook from downtown area businesses. The city has ceased applying that levy, at the request of the DBA, in light of the investigation that led to charges being filed against McKinnon.
