A former finance manager who defrauded a Burnaby seniors care home during the COVID-19 pandemic will be allowed to serve his sentence in the community with house arrest, a curfew, 100 hours of community service and an order to pay back money he stole.
Nahaz Hirji, 34, pleaded guilty in April to two counts of fraud over $5,000 in relation to crimes against two past employers: Burnaby’s George Derby Care Society, which operates George Derby Centre, and CEFA Early Learning in Vancouver.
B.C. provincial court Judge Donna Senniw pointed out Hirji had been in a position trust at both organizations, and the money he took was only part of the impact.
“When an individual is in a position of trust and abuses that trust, it impacts the organization afterwards,” she said.
While Senniw concluded Hirji’s “moral culpability” was “high” in relation to the crimes, she needed to bear in mind that he had no criminal record, showed remorse and was willing to repay the money.
She handed him a 16-month conditional sentence order and two years of probation.
He will be under house arrest for the first eight months and a 7 p.m. to 6 a.m. curfew for last eight months.
He has also been ordered to complete 100 hours of community work service and to repay $7,000 to George Derby and $517.01 to CEFA.
During his sentence, he is banned from any employment or volunteering that involves handling money and from having any identification that isn’t in his own name.
“Good luck, Mr. Hirji,” Senniw said after handing down her sentence. “I’m sure that you will be able to take your life on a completely different path than you were on in 2021.”
But Hirji’s legal troubles aren’t over yet.
He still faces a lawsuit from a third employer, Beyond Beige Interior Design Inc., who claims he defrauded them of more than $800,000 after leaving George Derby in April 2021.
Follow Cornelia Naylor on Twitter @CorNaylor
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