By Nancy Kelly
Transcontinental Media
Novanewsnow.com
A Hants County man convicted of defrauding three Nova Scotia health boards of just over $408,000 is headed to jail.
Cary Lee Hollett, 42, of Belmont, was arrested in November and charged with three counts of fraud over $5,000.
He appeared in Windsor provincial court on July 21 and was sentenced to three years and six months in jail for each count, to be served concurrently.
He was also handed three restitution orders to repay $145,412 to Annapolis Valley Health, $125,422 to South Shore District Health and $137,242 to the South West Nova Health Authority.
Hollet had pleaded guilty to the charges on April 19. The offences took place over a three-year period between March 2006 and September 2009.
The three health authorities, which share financial services, contacted police after detecting a "significant accounting irregularity" last fall. Hollett, who was employed as an accounts payable clerk during the period in question, was dismissed following an internal review.
In January of this year – following a criminal investigation by the Kentville Police and an internal forensic audit – the three health authories also launched a civil suit against the former employee.
