Robert Riley Saunders, a fraudulent former guardianship worker, continued to maintain during a sentencing hearing in a Kelowna court that he did his job sa国际传媒渧ery well.sa国际传媒�

Saunderssa国际传媒� cross-examination continued on March 25, the fifth day of his Gardiner hearing, after already pleading guilty to three of the 13 charges he was been indicted for while working as a social worker with the Ministry of Children and Family Development.

READ MORE: Former Kelowna social worker pleads guilty to defrauding youth in his care

The hearing is taking place, despite the guilty plea, because Saunders does not concede to all of the charges he is facing. Saunders does not agree that there was risk posed to youth by his actions, that there was actual and material risk posed to specific youth, and that the youth experienced financial deprivation by not receiving the funds they were entitled to.

While being cross-examined, Saunders said that he was a sa国际传媒渧ery goodsa国际传媒� social worker and that his colleagues came to him for help when they needed assistance.

When asked about his case files and note-taking, Saunders said sa国际传媒渁pparently I did not keep very good notes.sa国际传媒�

He also said that information recorded in youth plans were effectively fabricated to cover up the fraud.

sa国际传媒淎nything that I would write in a plan of care suggesting that a youth is doing well would have been manufactured as somewhat of a distraction to anybody reading,sa国际传媒� said Saunders.

Despite his efforts to conceal his fraud, a coworker was acting as his supervisor for 45 minutes when she uncovered his fraudulent documents.

While on the stand as a witness, Saunders said he used the system and framework at the MCFD to create documents to misappropriate funds. He admits to forging signatures and physically cutting and taping signatures onto documents to photocopy.

sa国际传媒淚 found ways to misappropriate funds regardless of their living situation,sa国际传媒� said Saunders, alleging that he did not withhold care from youth for financial gain.

He said that he was familiar with the system and knew the amount of funds he could steal without raising red flags.

READ MORE: Kelowna ex-social worker claims youth he defrauded were not entitled to funds

sa国际传媒淚t is forgery,sa国际传媒� said Saunders repeatedly when shown cheques and forms that he had filled out as part of his scheme.

sa国际传媒淚 was misappropriating money. I was releasing and signing them under the youthsa国际传媒檚 name, sa国际传媒� said Saunders.

Saunders stole up to $120,000 per year in funds that were intended for the high-risk and primarily Indigenous youth in his care from 2011 until 2017.

Saunders is facing ten counts of fraud over $5,000, one count of theft over $5,000, one count of breach of trust and one count of uttering a forged document.

Saunders is accused of using a forged university diploma to get a job as a social worker. According to the Crown, he claimed to have a Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of Manitoba despite having no social work credentials.

Jacqueline.Gelineau@kelownacapnews.com
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