A WOMAN charged with 29 counts of using a forged document and one count of fraud over $5,000 has pleaded guilty and been sentenced nearly four years after charges were laid.
Barbara Maikapar, 29, pleaded guilty and received a suspended sentence with one year of probation, 25 hours of community service and must pay restitution of $12,880 to her victim, Frank Nuyens. “I would’ve liked to have seen a lengthier sentence,” said Nuyens.
Between April 1, 2007 and Sept. 15, 2007, Maikapar forged a number of Nuyens’ cheques for a total amount of $27,735. Maikapar must also pay restitution of $10,555 to the Royal Bank – this amount is from money that the bank had paid back to Nuyens after he complained and bank staff hadn’t noticed the signature on his cheques was Maikapar’s and not his, explained prosecutor Bill Funnell.
The bank did stop two cheques from going through so the amount of restitution that she has to pay is less than the $27,375, said Funnell.
Maikapar was also ordered not to have possession of anyone else’s financial papers and to not have contact with Nuyens or be within a one block radius of his residence or workplace. She must also take substance abuse counselling after she said in court that she was drinking a little at the time of the forgeries, said Funnell. He said that the amount of money, while a lot in this case, isn’t the largest sum ordered to be repaid that he’s seen.
A suspended sentence means the person does not go to jail but must follow conditions during a period of probation. When the probation is over, the person still has a criminal record.