Fraudster sentenced to three years in jail left trail of ‘malice and deceit’
Audrey Annette Bishop is addicted to fraud.
She is callous and calculating, her victims convinced she took sadistic pleasure in befriending them and earning their trust before ripping them off.
Bishop, 53, was sentenced Monday to three years in a federal penitentiary for defrauding 15 people in Windsor, Essex County and Nova Scotia of an estimated $150,000.
Assistant Crown attorney Bryan Pillon, who prosecuted Bishop’s case, said these are only the “known” victims, implying there are likely more who never went to police.
Bishop pleaded guilty to more than 30 counts of theft, fraud and forgery. In addition to jail time, each count carries a $200 charge that Bishop must pay to the province to fund programs to help victims of crime.
Bishop stole from and defrauded people in Montana where she once lived. She breached the terms of her sentence when she moved back to Canada where she continued her treachery here.
“I’m sure she is already planning her next scheme,” said victim Mary Joann MacNeill, who also goes by the name Joann Cazabon-Hicks. Bishop befriended the grieving widow, concocting a lie about also having recently lost her longtime boyfriend. Bishop then devoted three years to manipulating MacNeill — convincing her she was being watched, estranging her from her family, ruining her financially and driving her to the brink of suicide.
MacNeill told the court Bishop brought her a coffee every morning and is certain Bishop was slipping drugs into it to make her foggy.
MacNeill said she believes Bishop’s end game was to assume her identity after her death and take control of her assets.
A testament to the woman’s cruelty, Bishop even made off with her cat, MacNeill said.
Bishop’s schemes were as varied as the victims she exploited.
In a written statement to the court, a retired postal worker Bishop befriended said he gave her his life savings, trusting she would pay him back from an inheritance she said was getting.
Now he is 67 years old and looking for work.
The Crown prosecutor said Bishop’s crimes were seeped in “malice and deceit.” She would be “charming and ingratiating,” exploiting the kindness of others.
Before moving to Amherstburg, Bishop lived in Nova Scotia where she told people she had been diagnosed with cancer, specifically non-Hodgkin lymphoma. Her plight touched the hearts of business owners in the small community where she lived.
In February 2011, members of the Pugwash Chamber of Commerce gave Bishop nearly $5,000 to help her fight the cancer she feigned.
In Amherstburg, she started a thrift shop called Audrey’s Attic. On the recommendation of real estate agents and well-respected business owners, people would bring her items on consignment. Bishop would sell the goods but the owners would never see a dime.
Bishop never made good on the rent for the rural building she leased. On top of that, she stole a tandem bicycle from the woman who was her landlord. Bishop took the bike knowing full well it had been purchased by local service groups for the woman’s visually impaired son.
Bishop’s own lawyer has described her crimes as despicable.
“This is a serious crime. This is a serious breach of trust,” said defence lawyer Daniel Topp. “There is a courtroom full of people here who are victims.”
Of them, Topp said, “Victims today are receiving their pound of flesh.”
They could be heard muttering “not enough” as they left the courtroom after Bishop’s sentencing.
While Ontario court Justice Lloyd Dean ordered Bishop to make financial restitution to her victims — he recorded their names and amounts owed on the sentencing documents — Topp said it’s unlikely they will ever be paid. Bishop says she is penniless. Invited to address the court, Bishop spoke in a whisper. “I am very, very sorry,” she said.
The words rung hollow for victims. They had already heard the opinion of the probation officer tasked with writing a background report on Bishop for the sentencing judge.
The report’s author said Bishop feels no remorse for her victims and “minimized and justified her actions.”
Dean addressed Bishop’s victims before passing sentence.
Speaking of how Bishop exploited their kindness, he said, “I don’t think you will ever recover from this completely … Your trust has been shattered.”
He said even people just hearing of Bishop’s crimes are emotionally affected by her deceit.
“It touches that sore spot on our souls.”
This is a serious crime. This is a serious breach of trust. There is a courtroom full of people here who are victims.