Calgary police announce more charges against alleged fraudster Monika Manhas

Monika Manhas is seen during a 2018 interview with CTV News.

A woman accused of embezzling money from a Calgary company is again facing fraud charges.

Monika Manhas was charged with fraud and theft back in 2023 after allegedly defrauding a Calgary oil and gas company she worked at of more than $500,000.

Police said Manhas, a temporary contract accountant, had allegedly set herself up as a full-time, salary employee on the payroll system, and used company funds to fraudulently pay herself.

They also alleged, in a 2023 news release, that Manhas used company credit card to make “extravagant and expensive purchases.”

She was later sentenced to two years in jail for theft over $5,000. The fraud charge was withdrawn.

- The information you need to know, sent directly to you: Download the CTV News App

Police say after distributing the news release, the owner of a different Calgary business came forward with concerns an employee was embezzling from their business.

Following an investigation, police determined $575,000 had been stolen from the business – an orthotics and prosthetics company – over a four-year period.

Manhas was employed as an office manager at the company between 2016 and 2023.

Police say her job included bookkeeping, day-to-day administrative tasks and serving as the sole administrator of the company’s third-party payroll system.

Calgary police launched a criminal investigation, with the help of a third-party accounting firm, which conducted a forensic audit of the business’ finances from 2019 to 2023.

It’s alleged Manhas had taken $576,963 without authorization.

“The criminal activity is believed to have begun in 2019, when a member of the owner’s family had fallen ill, and the employee had increased access to the company’s finances,” police said in a Thursday news release.

It’s alleged Manhas embezzled the funds by making unauthorized payments and e-transfers to herself disguised as advances, reimbursements and bonuses, using the company credit card for 290 unauthorized transactions, and using company cheques to pay for personal items.

Manhas, 46, of Gold River, B.C., was arrested on Monday, and charged with fraud over $5,000 and theft over $5,000.

She’s scheduled to appear in court on March 3.

Anyone with additional information about the incident, or similar incidents, is asked to call police at 403-266-1234.

Tips can also be submitted anonymously through Crime Stoppers.