A former worker at the Millbrook First Nation has been given a 4½-year prison term and directed to repay $4.38 million within 15 years. If she fails to make payments, she could face five years in custody. The ruling was issued on Friday in Nova Scotia Supreme Court in Truro.
Moreover, Dawn Marie Ellis-Abbott has been prohibited from pursuing or engaging in any job or volunteer role involving control over someone else’s assets for 25 years. She has also been subjected to a DNA order.
The investigation by the RCMP was initiated following a report from the chief and council of Millbrook First Nation in December 2019. Ellis-Abbott allegedly wrote checks for personal use during her time as a senior finance clerk at Millbrook between 2016 and 2019. Initially suspected of misappropriating $1 million, further scrutiny revealed that she had embezzled over $4 million.
Ellis-Abbott faced charges of fraud over $5,000, theft over $5,000, and possession of property obtained through crime over $5,000 in 2023. However, the latter two charges were dropped, according to JoAnn Alberstat, a spokesperson for the Nova Scotia Public Prosecution Service.
A civil lawsuit by Millbrook had previously mandated Ellis-Abbott to reimburse $3.2 million to the First Nation, along with $849,000 in interest. Alberstat clarified that there would be no double recovery, with any payment toward restitution, civil judgment, or fines reducing the remaining amounts accordingly.
The Millbrook First Nation expressed a sense of “closure and justice” following years of investigation, though Chief Bob Gloade noted that the sentence did not adequately address the community’s economic losses. Gloade mentioned disappointment over the length of the sentence.
CBC News attempted to contact Ellis-Abbott’s legal representative and Millbrook First Nation for comments, but no responses were received.