‘Her motivation was greed:’ Okanagan senior jailed for $350,000 benefit fraud

A South Okanagan senior who claimed more than $350,000 of government benefits she wasn’t entitled to has been sent to jail for two-and-a-half years.

Today, Oct. 17, at the Penticton courthouse, Justice Christopher Giaschi said 66-year-old Norlene White had “absolutely no insight” into her crimes and continues to deny it.

“Her motivation was greed,” the Justice said, adding that her moral culpability was “extremely high.”

Crown prosecutor Cory Lo had asked for two-and-a-half years in jail, while defence lawyer Michael Patterson wanted two years’ house arrest. It wouldn’t be unusual for someone without a criminal record to receive a sentence of house arrest for such a crime.

However, Justice Giaschi said the amount of the benefit fraud appeared unprecedented, and White had kept it going for almost 20 years.

The court heard how the 66-year-old had begun caring for her two older sisters, who have physical and mental disabilities, when her mother died in 2000.

She’d claimed benefits as their care giver, claiming she was single and had no assets.

From 2004 to 2022, White claimed that an individual called David Johnson was a friend and landlord and was paid numerous benefits from the Ministry of Social Development and Poverty Reduction.

“However, unbeknownst to the Ministry, (Johnson) lived with the defendant and her sisters and was the common-law spouse of the defendant during the relevant period,” the Justice said.

In 2022, both White and Johnson were charged with multiple counts of fraud and using forged documents.

White pleaded not guilty, but after a trial which lasted several weeks, a jury found White guilty. Johnson’s trial is due to start in March next year.

The court heard how White claimed she needed to use a special vehicle to transport her sisters to medical appointment in Vancouver and billed the Ministry for it.

However, of the 79 requests she made, she only took four trips.

She netted $72,000 in the fraud over several years.

On several occasions over the years, White submitted forged letters saying her sisters were being evicted and she needed money for moving.

One of the letters came from Johnson, who pretended to be her landlord and said the house was going to be demolished.

The scam raked in another $8,000.

The majority of the money was given as monthly payments.

The Justice said White co-owned two properties at the time and wouldn’t have been eligible for benefit payments.

It’s not clear when or how the Ministry got wind of what White was up to, but at an earlier court appearance heard that a Ministry investigator had been following the senior.

She denied Johnson was her partner, and said he was more like a “big brother.”

However, Justice Giaschi said the evidence was “overwhelming” that they were a couple.

The court heard that the 66-year-old had been married from 1981 to 1994 and had two sons.

She lived in a house co-owned by one of her sons and received a pension of $1,700. Her son paid the mortgage.

A psychiatrist had found her to have features of narcissistic personality disorder.

“She described herself as having a high sense of self-importance, as well as being deserving of special treatment. She described some of her talents in an overvalued way. She was very concerned of others being critical of her,” a report read.

She reported to having no close or associates, although provided the court with a wealth of support letters.

The letters spoke of how kind and genuine White was.

One letter said she was one of the most “selfless and giving” individuals the person had ever known.

However, the Justice said she had a high level of self-importance and felt she was entitled to special treatment.

“(She) has not expressed any remorse for what she has done,” the Justice said. “She has absolutely no insight into her crimes and to the damage they have caused.”

The Justice said White had had multiple opportunities to stop defrauding the government but had continued to do so.

He said her crimes were well planned and had taken place over years.

While age and health are often factors granting sentences of house arrest, the Justice said that would not deter others and wouldn’t be a fit and proper sentence.

Ultimately, the Justice sentenced White to two and a half years in jail.

White, who will be 67 next month, was also given a restitution order to pay back $351,538 to the government.