Ronald Jordan of NS jailed for $90K steal from wife's practice

Ronald Jordan of Sydney, Nova Scotia who defrauded his wife's dental practice of more than $90,000 was sentenced Monday to eight months in a provincial jail.

Ronald Jordan, 56, of Breton Road must also complete a one-year probation period. A second count of theft was withdrawn during Monday's sentencing hearing. The offence occurred between November 2005 and February 2008.

Ronald Jordan sentenced to 8 months in prison

Prosecutor Rick Hartlen had recommended a sentence of between 12 and 18 months while defence lawyer Darren Morgan sought a conditional sentence followed by a lengthy probation period.

Provincial court Judge David Ryan said a conditional sentence, which allows for offenders to serve their time in the community, would not be an appropriate disposition in the case.

"There is not an insignificant number here," said Ryan, noting that after a forensic audit, it was determined that $105,000 was missing, with $94,000 being tagged directly to Jordan's fraud.

The court was told there some 245 transactions directly linked to Jordan during the offence period. While his wife, Colleen LaPierre, handled the dentistry part of the operation, Jordan was responsible for the business side to ensure all bills were paid, along with other transactions.

The couple is now divorced and their assets were not equally divided as Ronald Jordan relinquished certain items in order to repay his wife.

"You put her business in serious jeopardy," said Ryan, describing the crime as a serious breach of trust.

In her victim impact statement, LaPierre said the crime has left her shaken in terms of trusting people and that she had to remortgage her home to keep the business afloat.

As a result of the fraud, she was also reassessed by Canada Revenue Agency and is now paying an adjusted tax bill for the years covering the fraud.

 At a time in her life when she should be looking toward retiring after 30 years, Ryan said the victim is now faced with a debt she never planned for and may be forced to sell her business.