North Vancouver businesses defrauded $200,000, accountant charged: RCMP

An accountant is facing a handful of fraud charges after two North Vancouver businesses reported being fleeced out of thousands of dollars, police say.

The investigation began in July 2019, when a business owner contacted the North Vancouver RCMP about fraud they believed was committed by their accountant.

Police say the initial offences that were reported took place between May 2018 and June 2019.

Then, in December 2020, a second business reported to Mounties that it had been defrauded of a “large sum of money” by its accountant.

After a years-long investigation, the RCMP announced Thursday that Allyson Steffensen of Squamish is facing numerous charges in relation to fraud. Mounties say the suspect has been charged with four counts of fraud over $5,000, and four counts of theft over $5,000.

Mounties say the two businesses had allegedly been defrauded of about $200,000.

Const. Mansoor Sahak says the investigation was “technically complex.”

“The length of time required to gather that evidence and present it to BC Prosecution Service offer an example of how complex fraud files can be, and the diligence and investigational expertise of the officers who brought this investigation to this point,” he said in a statement.

“Reducing frauds is a priority for us. We have specialized units who use advanced investigative techniques to target these offences. We rely on the community to call us when they feel something is not right.”