CORNWALL – The former president of the Cornwall Minor Hockey Association (CMHA) has been sentenced to six months in jail.
Brian Caskenette, 61, will also have to make restitution to the CMHA of $16,550 in $1,000 monthly payments, once he’s out of jail, until the amount is paid in full.
He will be on probation for a year-and-a-half. During his probation he is prohibited from being on any sort of volunteer board or association.
Caskenette’s judgment was originally scheduled for early April but the sentencing was inexplicably moved up to today (Monday). The sentence leans more toward what the defence had been asking for – six months in jail – rather than the Crown’s request of 16 months.
Caskenette was found guilty in December, following a trial, of fraud over $5,000 for using the CMHA credit card from 2011-2014 to buy personal items. He also took cash advances on the card, using a portion of that money on himself.
In an interview with Cornwall Newswatch, Denis Dumais, president of Hockey Eastern Ontario (HEO) Minor, says the situation is regrettable but he is happy the court process worked.
“These are regretful events. Parents put their trust into associations and unfortunately we’re not all on the up-and-up. These type of situations happen and it’s good to see that the process is culminated and he must repay parents’ money,” Dumais said.
Dumais says, like banks, Hockey Eastern Ontario has many safeguards and procedures in place. “People have a tendency to show up and rob banks also. There’s all kinds of things we do to protect parents’ money. Unfortunately these breach of trusts happen from time to time.”
Dumais feels they do a very good job considering there are 75-76 associations and 31,000 kids and volunteers within HEO Minor. In his four years, Dumais says this is the only case he knows of that happened in his tenure.
“Minor hockey should be pretty proud. We base ourselves in this branch with mostly all volunteers,” Dumais told CNW.
“I’m just glad that the process is completed. It took a long time and hopefully the CMHA (Cornwall Minor Hockey Association) can move on and move forward from this and do the best that they can for next year.”