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Former band administrator pleads in $1.2-million breakfast program fraud case

Former co-manager of Kashechewan First Nation pleaded guilty to two counts of fraud after being arrested by the RCMP in 2016
TBnewsWatch.com Staff
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THUNDER BAY - The former co-manager of Kashechewan First Nation accused of defrauding the community breakfast program for more than $1.2 million has been found guilty.

Giuseppe Crupi, 51, pleaded guilty to two counts of fraud in a Thunder Bay Court and will be sentenced early next year.

The Royal Canadian Mounted Police arrested Crupi on Sept. 20, 2016 after an investigation found he submitted false funding applications to Indigenous and Northern Affairs Canada on behalf of Kashechewan First Nation.

It was discovered Crupi fraudulently obtained $1.2 million from the National Benefit Reinvestment Program. The program is designed to provide breakfasts for more than 400 school children on Kashechewan First Nation.

Crupi was also accused of misappropriating approximately $656,157 from the First Nation for his own personal use in 2008, 2009, and 2012, as well as failing to report taxable income in excess of $5,000.

Crupi pleaded guilty on Nov. 7, 2017 to two counts of fraud in excess of $5,000. A sentencing hearing has been set for Jan. 12, 2018 in Thunder Bay Court.