Judge blames governments for gambling addict's problems
No jail term for man who stole $91,300 from Canadian Forces
Jake Rupert - CanWest News Service - Saturday, July 05, 2003
OTTAWA -- A man who defrauded the Canadian Forces to support a gambling habit was spared a jail sentence Friday by a judge who partly blamed the man's addiction on government.
Ontario Court Justice Paul Belanger said governments that make money from gambling must accept some responsibility for the "monsters" they've created.
"One of the consequences of this is there will be people who become hopelessly addicted to gambling," Judge Belanger said. "It is a recognized disease.
"The federal, provincial and, to some extent, municipal governments must share some of the responsibility for creating people who fall prey to this addiction. The same might be said if the government started selling cocaine."
Belanger sentenced Ottawa-area resident Boyd Dulmage to an 18-month conditional sentence to be served in the community and three years probation. The judge also ordered the man to repay the $91,300 he defrauded from the Forces, perform 240 hours of community service and to stay away from casinos.
Dulmage, 43, served in the force's financial administration division when he began to gamble. Between March 1, 1997, and March 31, 1999, he used a variety of methods to defraud the government. He filed bogus travel expenses, authorized false cash advances, filed claims for extra duties and even gave himself a promotion.
After an internal investigation, Dulmage was suspended without pay and the police were notified.
Assistant Crown attorney George Dzioba had asked the judge to sentence Dulmage to between 12 and 18 months in jail because his actions amounted to "a serious, long-running and financially damaging breach of trust on the armed force."
But the judge said he couldn't jail a man who started committing crimes to support an addiction to something the government is selling.
"This is an egregious breach of trust, but in rejecting the Crown's submission for a jail term, I suggest it should be less strident in its drive to jail people who become addicted to gambling," Belanger said.
In a statement to the judge before sentencing, Dulmage, who has no previous record, said he accepted responsibility for his crimes.
"Gambling has ruined me financially and damaged me psychologically," Dulmage said. "Not a day goes by that I don't wish things were different -- that I'd never become involved in gambling."
Later, as he waited to sign papers at the courthouse, Dulmage said he was greatly relieved that he wasn't going to jail and praised the judge for his stance.
"I think the things he said today were brave," Dulmage said. "I'm glad he recognized the double-standard approach governments are taking on this issue."
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