Issue Date: 20/15/0310

B2

CITY

WINNIPEG FREE PRESS, TUESDAY, MARCH 10, 2015

winnipegfreepress.com

Thief blames
downward
spiral in life
for stealing

Visibility
limited
by fog
Firefighters and
paramedics work
at the scene of a
three-vehicle
accident that
took place on
the CentrePort
Canada Way
expressway in
the fog Monday
morning.

By Mike McIntyre
A Manitoba woman who stole more than
$9,000 from the Lynn Lake Friendship
Centre says she was trying to cope with
a series of tragic events in her life at
the time.
Erica Olson appeared in a Winnipeg courtroom Monday after pleading
guilty to theft and fraud. Crown and defence lawyers have made a joint recommendation for a six-month conditional
sentence and a restitution order for the
first-time offender.
I really am sorry about what I did,
said Olson. She told court shes turned
down offers of help from her mother
and others to pay back the money, saying she wants to do it herself.
If I actually pay it back myself, Ill
learn not to do it again, she said.
Provincial court Judge Sid Lerner
has reserved his decision until later
this month.
Olson pocketed the money while
working at the community-based organization that offers a variety of programs and services.
Defence lawyer Michael Dyck said
his client used the cash to feed a gambling and alcohol addiction that developed after her life began a downward spiral in 2012.
She suffered a miscarriage, her marriage ended over allegations her spouse
was unfaithful, her dad died of alcoholrelated illness and she was the victim
of a serious attack, court was told.
Unfortunately, she turned to the
clutches of alcohol and gambling to
cope, said Dyck.
The Crown expressed concern over a
pre-sentence report in which Olson appeared to minimize her responsibility,
suggesting others working at the organization were also pocketing money.
Dyck insisted she knows what she did
was wrong.
Shes had a significant amount of
shame over her actions, he said. She
wants to pay back that money and accept responsibility for her actions.
www.mikeoncrime.com

JOE BRYKSA / WINNIPEG FREE PRESS

Judge doesnt buy tale of bikers bounty

By Mike McIntyre

HE federal government has won

a major legal battle against the
former president of the Manitoba Hells Angels over property seized
under proceeds-of-crime legislation.
Court of Queens Bench Justice Rick
Saull ruled Monday five items were
legally taken from Dale Sweeney following his 2012 arrest in Winnipeg.
They include a Harley-Davidson motorcycle, a Corvette, a Silverado, a boat
and a trailer.
One of Sweeneys friends had stepped
forward and claimed he was the rightful owner of that property and should
have it returned immediately. He filed
a motion stating he purchased the
items, with cash, without any influence
from Sweeney.
That simply doesnt hold any water,

Saull said Monday. Several days of trial

were held, including evidence from the
man and investigating officers, along
with an examination of financial records.
Saull called the man nothing more
than a nominee of Sweeneys who tried
to pull the wool over the courts eyes.
His purpose was to protect assets
from the police, the judge said. The
circumstantial evidence... if one were
to apply logic and common sense, is absolutely overwhelming.
More than $800,000 worth of
Sweeneys assets were frozen following his arrest in Project Flatlined, a
Winnipeg police crackdown of a large
dial-a-dealer operation. He is serving
11 years in prison.
In addition to the five items his friend
claimed to own, the government also
took possession of Sweeneys house.
At least some, if not all, of the prop-

erty has already been sold by the federal government at auction. The net
proceeds then go into a federal fund
that deals with these types of forfeiture
matters.
Last year, the Free Press tracked
down a couple who purchased the Harley and thought they had a steal of a
deal, only to suffer from a case of buyers remorse when they learned where
it came from.
Oops, the owners said when asked
for their initial response.
The wife says her husband went to the
auction expecting just to be a spectator.
But a shiny 1999 Dyna Super GL Sport
caught his eye, and when the bidding
opened at $6,800 he couldnt resist.
Moments later, he was the proud new
owner for the low price of $6,802.
After making the purchase, the
couple began doing research about
the history of the motorcycle. Auction

staff told them it had come from Manitoba and been part of an asset seizure.
They figured perhaps it once belonged
to someone who went bankrupt not
someone involved in the worlds most
notorious biker gang.
Their jaws collectively dropped when
they found out Sweeney was the previous owner and that he was apparently trying to get it back.
www.mikeoncrime.com

Would you feel safe

buying the Hells Angels
boat?

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