DIY store scammer must pay restitution

There’s no way to know for sure exactly how much a Penticton man and a Rona employee were able to bilk from the hardware giant, a judge heard Monday.

Harry Thomas Jeanette, 75, was handed a conditional sentence of one year of probation after pleading guilty in provincial court to one count of theft over $5,000.

Court heard Jeanette and a Rona employee in 2017 falsified receipts, which Jeanette would then take out to the lumber yard and use to pick up materials from unsuspecting employees.

“The Rona employee would always make arrangements to deal with Mr. Jeanette, so it was a close relationship,” explained Crown counsel John Swanson.

Swanson said another employee caught on to what was happenings and notified a manager, who, alongside an accountant, conducted an internal audit.

“Mr. Jeanette stole the sum of $5,775.74, at a minimum, from Rona,” said Swanson. “There is some suggestion with respect to how long the theft had been going on that the amount might have been bigger.”

According to a joint submission from the Crown and defence, Jeanette will be under a strict 6 p.m. to 6 a.m. curfew, will be required to abstain from drugs and alcohol, and must pay full restitution to Rona.

When asked if he would like to address the court, Jeanette said he didn’t “know about paying restitution” since he lives on a $600-a-month pension.

“I don’t know how I’ll ever pay back Rona,” he said, adding there was “no mention of the other person involved (and how) she doesn’t got to pay anything back. She got away scot-free.”