Fraud and theft charges laid against employee of Collingwood-based property management business
The Barrie Examiner
23 November 2015

An employee of a property management business is facing fraud and theft charges pertaining to alleged fraudulent financial activity involving various condominium corporations in the region.

Officers with the Crime Unit of the Collingwood and The Blue Mountains OPP began an investigation following several complaints involving the employee of the business which is based in Collingwood.

OPP says the alleged fraudulent financial activity involves condo corporations in Collingwood, Barrie and The Blue Mountains.

Rhonda McCarthy, 41, of Springwater Township, has been charged with fraud over $5,000, theft over $5,000 and uttering forged document.

OPP say she is to appear in a Collingwood court on Dec. 29.

I have been informed by a reader that she worked for Illustrious Property Management. Both big and small management companies can be impacted by an employee's illegal or unethical behaviours. That is why condo directors need to be vigilant.—editor

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More charges in connection to alleged Collingwood and Barrie condo corp fraud
Collingwood Connection
By: Ian Adams
30 December 2015

A Springwater Township woman now faces more than 50 charges connected to alleged fraudulent financial activity involving several condominium corporations in the region.

Rhonda McCarthy, 41, was charged in November with fraud over $5,000, theft over $5,000, and uttering a forged document.

Additional charges have since been added, and McCarthy now faces 13 counts each of fraud over $5,000, theft over $5,000, uttering a forged document, and possession of property obtained by crime.

According to Collingwood OPP, the charges stem from an investigation by the detachment’s crime unit of the activities of a Collingwood-based property management business.

Police allege that the investigation uncovered fraudulent financial activity involving various condo corporations in Collingwood, The Blue Mountains, and Barrie.

McCarthy made her first court appearance in Collingwood on Dec. 29. Her next appearance is scheduled for Jan. 26.

Updates to this story
31 December 2015

Rhonda McCarthy’s first appearance in Provincial Court occurred on December 29th. The case was remanded to January 26, 2016 at 8:30 am in the same Collingwood satellite Provincial Court. Upper Canada Condominium Management, owned by the late Don Watson, employed Rhonda McCarthy. This corporation provided property management services to a number of the condominium corporations in and around Collingwood and Barrie. On his death, his daughter, Lindsay Watson, formed Illustrious Property Management Corporation and was contracted to provide similar property management services to those previously held by UCCM. Subsequently, Rhonda was employed by Illustrious. At this time one of the condos is caught up in this is waiting for any information regarding the following:

Rhonda McCarthy—her Facebook page

• What is the overall total loss in dollars?
• What is the status of Illustrious Property Management Corporation?

The website for Illustrious Property Management has been taken down. It's office is (or was) on 10 Sandford Fleming Drive in Collingwood. I have heard that it is now out of business.

Facebook
Rhonda McCarthy’s Facebook page shows that she is an independent business operator actively involved in selling ACN services.

Throughout the Facebook page one can see her participation in numerous ACN sponsored events including a photo of her with Donald Trump.

Rhonda also wrote that she was ‘sitting at the millionaires table’ while attending an ACN recognition event.


A couple of her comments, referring to her ACN sales, seem ironic.

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Collingwood, Barrie condo fraud case back in court next month
The Connection
By: John Edwards
19 February 2016

Photo: Simcoe.com
A woman accused of defrauding several condominium corporations will be back in court next month.

Rhonda McCarthy, 41, of Springwater Township faces more than 50 charges connected to alleged fraudulent financial activity involving several condominium corporations in Collingwood, The Blue Mountains, and Barrie.

At a court hearing Tuesday, the case was moved to March 8 as the crown had just received disclosure that morning.

McCarthy faces 13 counts each of fraud over $5,000, theft over $5,000, uttering a forged document, and possession of property obtained by crime.

According to Collingwood OPP, the charges stem from an investigation by the detachment's crime unit of the activities of a Collingwood-based property management business.

—with files from Ian Adams, Simcoe.com

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Accused in Collingwood, Barrie condo corp fraud faces more charges
Collingwood Connection
By: John Edwards
25 May 2016

A woman accused of defrauding several local condominium corporations is facing about 20 more charges in connection with a series of incidents

Rhonda McCarthy, 41, of Springwater Township was in court on Tuesday regarding more theft and fraud charges.

now facing more than 70 charges

McCarthy is now facing more than 70 charges connected to alleged fraudulent financial activity involving several condominium corporations in Collingwood, The Blue Mountains, and Barrie.

McCarthy faces 13 counts each of fraud over $5,000, theft over $5,000, uttering a forged document, and possession of property obtained by crime.

The case is slated for a judicial pre-trial on June 6.

According to Collingwood OPP, the charges stem from an investigation by the detachment's crime unit into the activities of a Collingwood-based property management business.

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Collingwood, Barrie condo fraud case set for pre-trial on Aug. 8
Collingwood Connection
By: John Edwards
21 June 2016

A woman accused of defrauding several local condominium corporations, is back in court next month.

Rhonda McCarthy, 41, of Springwater Township faces 72 charges connected to alleged fraudulent financial activity involving several condominium corporations in Collingwood, The Blue Mountains, and Barrie.

Initially, she faced 52 charges, but police continued to investigate the case and added an additional 20.

McCarthy is slated to have a judicial pre-trial on Aug. 8.

McCarthy faces charges for fraud over $5,000, theft over $5,000, uttering a forged document, and possession of property obtained by crime.

According to Collingwood OPP, the charges stem from an investigation by the detachment's crime unit into the activities of a Collingwood-based property management business.

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Woman accused of defrauding Collingwood, Barrie condo corps set for pre-trial in October
Collingwood Connection
By: John Edwards
23 August 2016

A case involving the alleged defrauding of several local condominium corporations has been pushed back to the fall.

Rhonda McCarthy, 41, of Springwater Township faces 72 charges connected to alleged fraudulent financial activity involving several condominium corporations in Collingwood, The Blue Mountains, and Barrie.

McCarthy was slated for a judicial pre-trial on Aug. 8 but after speaking with court officials, Simcoe.com has learned, the case is set for a pre-trial on Oct. 3 in Collingwood. Details revealed in pre-trials are subject to a publication ban.

McCarthy faces charges for fraud over $5,000, theft over $5,000, uttering a forged document, and possession of property obtained by crime.

According to Collingwood OPP, the charges stem from an investigation by the detachment's crime unit into the activities of a Collingwood-based property management business.

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Collingwood condo fraud case returns to court
on Dec. 5
Collingwood Connection
By: John Edwards
11 October 2016

A woman accused of defrauding several condominium corporations is back in court this December.

Rhonda McCarthy, 41, of Springwater Township faces 72 charges connected to alleged fraudulent financial activity involving several condominium corporations in Collingwood, The Blue Mountains, and Barrie.

McCarthy had a judicial pre-trial on Oct. 3 and the pre-trial is set to continue on Dec. 5 in Collingwood. McCarthy faces charges for fraud over $5,000, theft over $5,000, uttering a forged document, and possession of property obtained by crime.

According to Collingwood OPP, the charges stem from an investigation by the detachment's crime unit into the activities of a Collingwood-based property management business.

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Accused in Collingwood condo fraud case expected to enter plea
Collingwood Connection
John Edwards
12 December 2016

A Springwater Township woman accused of defrauding several condominium corporations is expected to enter a plea early in 2017.

Rhonda McCarthy, 41, faces 72 charges connected to alleged fraudulent financial activity involving several condominium corporations in Collingwood, The Blue Mountains and Barrie.

Court officials in Barrie told Simcoe.com that McCarthy’s next court appearance is Feb. 6 in Collingwood, where she is expected to enter a plea.

McCarthy faces charges for fraud over $5,000, theft over $5,000, uttering a forged document, and possession of property obtained by crime.

According to Collingwood OPP, the charges stem from an investigation by the detachment's crime unit into the activities of a Collingwood-based property-management business.

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Woman guilty of defrauding Collingwood, Barrie condo corporations of $909K
Collingwood Connection
By John Edwards
28 February 2017

A Springwater Township woman pleaded guilty to 18 counts of fraud after forging cheques from condominium corporations totalling more than $900,000.

Rhonda McCarthy was in Collingwood court Feb. 28 and pleaded guilty to 16 counts of fraud over $5,000 and two counts of fraud under $5,000.

The fraudulent activity took place from 2008 to 2015. It involved condominium corporations in Collingwood, Barrie, Tottenham and Thornbury.

worked for Illustrious Property Management (IPM) for 23 years

The agreed statement of facts said McCarthy worked for Illustrious Property Management (IPM) for 23 years, most recently as chief administrator and bookkeeper. The company handled financial management for a number of condo corporations.

Records from 2009 showed McCarthy used accounting software to forge cheques totalling $909,000. After printing the cheques, she forged the signature of the company president.

The cheques were made out to herself and her estranged spouse’s roofing company, McCarthy Roofing. McCarthy would then use online banking to transfer the funds to herself in $2,000 increments, which were used for expenses.

When IPM had a large number of clients, there was a “large pool of funds,” some of which she siphoned off. In some cases, cheques were as high as $40,000.

When the number of clients of IPM shrunk, the cheques became more “modest.”

The court heard McCarthy was transferring money between different condo corporations in order to cover up her activity.

In Nov. 2015, Collingwood accountant Ian Whitton notified police after being informed of an auditor's report, using his company’s name, for a condominium corporation that was not a client.

accountant Ian Whitton notified police

A condo corporation also reported that, when changing property-management firms, officials discovered $68,000 had been misappropriated.

The prosecutor also read out the total list of the forged cheques, with some worth as much as $180,000. In total, she forged $802,000 in cheques to the roofing company and about $107,000 to herself.

The prosecutor said the transferring of funds also led to losses for the condominium corporations, but that amount wasn’t known.

McCarthy is to be back in court June 5 for sentencing, as well as the reading of victim impact statements.

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Sentencing delayed in Collingwood, Barrie condo fraud
Collingwood Connection
John Edwards
09 June 2017

The sentencing of a Springwater Township woman convicted of 18 counts of fraud has been pushed back.

Rhonda McCarthy was scheduled to be sentenced June 5, but her case has been put over until Aug. 14.

McCarthy pleaded guilty in February to 16 counts of fraud over $5,000 and two counts of fraud under $5,000 for forging cheques from condominium corporations totalling more than $900,000.

The fraudulent activity took place from 2008 to 2015. It involved condominium corporations in Collingwood, Barrie, Tottenham and Thornbury.

McCarthy worked for Illustrious Property Management for 23 years, most recently as chief administrator and bookkeeper.

The court is also expected to hear victim impact statements on the day of the sentencing.

McCarthy was first changed in connection with the case in November, 2015.

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