Anna Voskuil | News Editor
Featured Image: The fraud supposedly ran from 2005 to 2012 undetected, collecting over $1 million from York. | Courtesy of Creative Commons
After years of fraud, former York employee Vittoria Caparello was sentenced to three years of imprisonment earlier this month.
This past year, Caparello pleaded guilty to her charges.
According to a report of the sentencing, Ontario Superior Court judge, Justice Kelly Byrne, said: “Vittoria Caparello saw fit to defraud her employer from 2005 to 2012. This was not a quick cash grab from a till.”
The recent sentencing follows the 2014 arrests of Caparello, for two counts of fraud over $5,000; Yossi Zaidfeld, for one count of fraud over $5,000; and Melissa Caparello, for possession of property obtained by crime under $5,000. These charges came when, at the time, they were reported to be connected to an alleged fraudulent scheme that claimed to have run for about seven years, and allegedly involved the loss of $1.58 million in York’s funds.
Caparello was an employee at York for nearly three decades, up until the loss of her position in November 2012, wherein she was reported by a suspicious colleague.
She held the position of business manager in the division of continuing studies for the faculty of Liberal Arts and Professional Studies. York became aware of the claimed scheme in October 2012.
Byrne added: “This fraud spanned seven years with 285 fraudulent transactions. If not for getting caught, it might still be continuing.
“This was a well thought out, deliberate plan that was executed with success, time and time again.”
“The big question on everybody’s mind is where did all the money go? There’s no clear answer to this, despite the best efforts of law enforcement and insurance providers to trace and recover funds,” Byrne added.
As a final statement, Byrne expressed: “In my view, this offence was primarily greed driven. Pure and simple.”
Following this case is a second alleged fraud from 2012 the outcome of which has not yet been determined.
Presumably, the concern regarding fraud detection has arisen after these two cases.
As a recent example of improving safety against fraud, Manulife Insurance has been implementing funding towards research that is analyzing the use of AI as a tool to better improve fraud detection.
The Fraud, Theft, and Misappropriation of Assets Policy states: “The University encourages persons who have evidence of theft, fraud, or other misappropriation of University assets or resources to disclose such evidence to persons in authority.
“University employees, agents, contractors, volunteers, and any others acting on behalf of the university or doing business with it shall, if and when asked, be expected to cooperate fully with any investigation.”
In any investigative procedures to follow evidence of fraud, the Fraud, Theft, and Misappropriation of Assets Procedure states: “The results of any investigations will be reflected in a written report, which shall be issued to senior university officers and, in the normal course (and in any event when the allegations have been substantiated), to the Finance and Audit Committee of the Board of Governors.”
At the time of publication, York’s Media Relations could not be reached for comment.
