CHARITY BACKS ORDER TO PAY BACK £270,000
Charity bosses have welcomed the news that fraudsters who conned both them and Sunderland College have been ordered to pay back more than £270,000.
As reported by the Echo last week, Joanne Mounter and Paula Bolan have been told to pay back six-figure sums under the Proceeds of Crime Act.
Mounter, 47, and Bolan, 46, used their roles as Chief Executives of Team Wearside, a charity which assisted jobseekers and offered training opportunities to gain workplace qualifications, to carry out the scam.
Along with the help of training assessor Kym Norman, 54, they falsified learning records in order to claim funding from the Skills Funding Agency via Sunderland College and the Springboard charity during a two-year period.
Together, Mounter and Bolan admitted five counts of fraud and were both jailed for more than four years in March. Norman admitted one count of fraud and was sentenced to more than two years’ imprisonment.
The total value of their fraud was more than£450,000 and helped result in Team Wearside having to close, with the loss of 23 jobs.
Mounter and Bolan were back at Newcastle Crown Court after police launched an application to seize any assets they might have.
Mounter was told to pay back £102,800.40 and Bolan £138,138.60. The monies – which will be paid as compensation to Sunderland College and Springboard – must be paid within three months.
On August 2, Norman was also ordered to pay back £29,402.99 for his part in the scam. David Barker MBE, Chief Executive of Springboard, welcomed the confiscation order.
He said: “Springboard is a charity which exists to support the development of sustainable communities where people have the support they need for work and life.
“The selfish, short-term gain work which the perpetrators sought has been mitigated by the actions of the court and we welcome their decision.”
Detective Inspector Sally Macdonald, of Northumbria Police, added: “This crime had a wide-reaching and damaging impact with many people losing their jobs.”
The court was told how a “whistleblower” alerted police to financial irregularities at Team Wearside, and a number of people initially suspected of being involved in the fraudulent activity were suspended in November 2016.
As a result of the trio’s scam, Sunderland College had been duped out of more than £300,000 and Springboard of about £100,000.
“This crime had a wide reaching and damaging impact”
DETINSP MACDONALD