Suspended Sen. Mike Duffy billed taxpayers for personal travel to funerals, the RCMP allege in a court filing that provides more details of 31 charges against the senator.
The Mounties allege that Duffy filed five “inappropriate expense claims associated with personal attendance at funerals and related ceremonies” between April 10, 2009 and March 2, 2012.
The expense claims contain “false or misleading information,” according to the court filing.
The document also alleges that Duffy fraudulently awarded a $65,000 contract to his friend Gerald Donohue. That money was used to “facilitate” payments to three other people,including a make-up artist and a personal trainer, the RCMP allege.
After he suffered a heart attack years ago, Duffy hired personal trainer Mike Croskery to keep him in shape and paid him out of his own pocket.
But it’s alleged that in March 2010, Duffy started to pay for Croskery’s training out of the $65,000 fraudulent contract to Donohue.
Sources say the fitness payments account for a significant amount of the $65,000.
Mounties also allege Duffy used the same consulting scheme to pay a make-up artist for a photo shoot, as well as a young volunteer in his office, who now works for the Prime Minister’s Office.
The Mounties have said that Donohue did little or no work for Duffy.
Last week, the RCMP announced 31 charges against Duffy related to his living and travel expense claims, as well as a $90,000 cheque he received from Nigel Wright, the prime minister’s former chief of staff, to reimburse the taxpayers as the Senate spending scandal grew.
Wright has not been charged in connection with the $90,000 payment.
The charges against Duffy include seven counts of fraud under $5,000, seven counts of fraud over $5,000, 15 counts of breach of trust, one count of bribery of a judicial official, and one count of fraud of government. The Mounties said the alleged misspending amounts to more than $200,000.
Duffy has repeatedly denied any wrongdoing. He told reporters last week that he’s looking forward to his day in court.
Duffy will appear in an Ottawa court on September 16.
With a report from CTV’s Ottawa Bureau Chief Robert Fife
