A Newtownabbey man charged with four counts of forgery, two counts of false accounting and one further count of fraud by abuse of position has today, Tuesday 30th June, been sentenced.
Robert Moore (73) pleaded guilty to the seven charges after he defrauded the trustees of Central Belfast Contact Centre between December 2009 and January 2022.
Moore abused his position as treasurer to write fraudulent cheques to himself, defrauding the Belfast-based charity of what the prosecution estimated to be £206,647.96.
He was sentenced to a total of 18 months imprisonment.
Detective Sergeant Adams said: “This charitable organisation had, for over 20 years, provided a safe and neutral facility whereby the children of separated families could spend time with one or both parents, and sometimes other family members.
“Moore abused his position as a director and treasurer within the organisation to commit fraud with what police calculated worth more than £200,000.
“The fraud came to light in 2022 when concerns were raised about the running of the charity’s accounts by Moore and him making a disclosure of withdrawing money from the account to another trustee.
“A police investigation commenced and it was revealed that over a period of several years Moore had fraudulently taken huge sums from the charity. Fraud against a charity has consequences that extend far beyond the financial value stolen. This is money that would have supported this valued organisation.
“In this case, this man was trusted by a local charity to act in their best interests and manage the organisation’s finances. He failed to honour this trust and exploited funds for his own gain.
“His conviction and sentencing should reassure the wider community that fraud of this nature will be thoroughly investigated and prosecuted by the Police Service of Northern Ireland.”