A CO Tyrone woman who pretended she had cancer and defrauded her employers out of almost £2 million has been given an extension to repay some of the money back, but warned she was on the brink of being sent to prison.
Julie McBrien (47), also known as Hogg, of Screeby Road, Fivemiletown, was previously given an extension in November.
It took over a year from sentencing before a Proceeds of Crime Order was finally imposed and while McBrien ran up the extortionate amount, her confiscated property and assets falls well short of what she stripped from her victims.
The major abuse of trust almost brought her employers, Cookstown-based Northern Mouldings Limited, to the brink of collapse.
Having manoeuvred herself into fully controlling the company finances she created false bank statements, forged a former employee’s signature, countersigned cheques to herself and generated fraudulent invoices.
McBrien also claimed to a company director that she had cancer, securing time off to continue her opulent lifestyle without interference.
When arrested, she admitted everything, claiming the money was spent on holidays, with "nothing to show for it", but searches uncovered jewellery, designer clothes and other evidence of extravagance.
Forensic examination discovered lifestyle spend of just over £141,000; general expenditure of £360,000; property development of £667,000; fashion and beauty at £231,000 and £145,000 on jewellery.
Jailing her for five-and-a-half-years Judge Brian Sherrard told her: "You were given preferential treatment after claiming to have cancer.
"You authored that lie and benefited from it … You had no consideration for anyone affected by you. Your offending was borne out of avarice."
She was refused leave to appeal last year.
Following sentencing in November 2021, the Proceeds of Crime Application proved slow and difficult, until the court ruled no further delay would be tolerated amid claims McBrien’s mansion was on the market, which enquiries revealed was untrue.
A financial investigator examined her accounts and property, including her home and grounds, confirmed various property including jewellery had been seized and is currently held in storage.
While compensation sought is just shy of £1.9 million, the estimated recoverable assets were the region of £673,000, which Judge Sherrard ordered to be paid by February 23 2023.
If McBrien failed to pay, she would face seven years in jail.
However, defence lawyers have since brought the case back to court seeking an extension of the deadline and while there is provision for this, prosecution counsel Simon Reid advised it can only be done once.
"That’s the red line and the order is in default beyond that," he said.
The defence confirmed consent has been given for the seized items including jewellery to be auctioned, however, the house remains an issue as McBrien’s father Walter Hogg has laid claim to an area of land on which it is built.
"That seems to be making progress and once that’s resolved the property will be marketed and sold," said the defence.
Granting a final date of May 26 for the compensation to be satisfied, Judge Sherrard stressed the default term of imprisonment would become applicable.