A Victoria paralegal has been sentenced to three years in prison after embezzling nearly $350,000 from her employer by disguising payments to him as routine office expenses.

Melissa Jane Cielen, 49, pleaded guilty to embezzling $343,077.28, which she used to finance her alcohol and cocaine use, according to a provincial court decision. She was ordered to repay the money as part of her sentence.

Cielen worked as a paralegal for a Victoria lawyer from 2010 to 2022, and her job included some management tasks, such as paying office bills.

Between 2018 and 2022, Cielen transferred money to himself by disguising payments as “court fees,” “litigation support providers,” and “firm office fees,” among other fraudulent explanations.

Cielen began abusing alcohol and cocaine in 2018, the same year she was diagnosed with cervical cancer, the ruling states. In 2021, she was admitted to hospital, where she was diagnosed with severe alcohol use disorder and moderate cocaine use disorder.

A psychiatrist who prepared a pre-sentence report determined that Cielen did not suffer from a serious mental illness such as psychosis or a severe mood disorder. She appears to have some depressive symptoms, such as low self-esteem, feelings of worthlessness and hopelessness, sleep disturbances, and intermittent suicidal ideation.

The psychiatrist deemed Cielen to be at low risk of reoffending.

The Crown asked for a three-year prison sentence, while Cielen’s defense lawyer proposed a suspended sentence of two years less a day to be served in the community. Both attorneys agreed that Cielen should be ordered to repay the stolen money.

Judge Ted Gouge wrote in his sentencing decision that deterrence, one of the goals of sentencing in criminal cases, is particularly important in embezzlement cases because it involves a crime that requires prior thought and planning.

“In many cases, like this one, it extends over several years. The potential offender is given sufficient time to consider the potential consequences of his actions,” Gouge wrote.

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