Woman Sentenced After Defraud in Nova Scotia

A reported by CBC News, Patricia Ann Dixon pleaded guilty three years after being found out for defrauding of St. Anselm's Catholic Church in West Chezzetcook, Nova Scotia in 2022.

Dixon, 52 years old, was the bookkeeper for the church and had defrauded the church of more than $225,000 over a ten year period.

Her sentencing from the Crown was 18 months of house arrest and a six month curfew. Her prosecutor, Brian Cox noted that the sentencing was a very low sentence compared to what other sentences were for similar crimes.

Cox also noted that this crime happened out of greed and lifestyle. He explained that lots of people throughout their lives feel this certain pressure and could understand why Dixon gave in. 

St. Anselm's Church consequently closed in 2018 due to declining attendance and then nearly $800,000 debt to the Archdiocese which the parishioners had no knowledge of. 

Aside from the fraud that Dixon committed, the financial strain and needed repairs would have been too much for the community to cover and ultimately lead to the decision of the closure.