Ponto sentenced by judge

Deborah Lynn Ponto, 53, was sentenced in Kamloops Provincial Court on Friday, Oct. 30, under Sec. 334A, Theft Over $5,000.

Ponto was charged earlier this year with theft of just under $34,000 from her victim, Anneliese Martens, a senior who resides in Barriere.

Since then $18,000 has been repaid by Ponto.

Martens attended the sentencing and says she may never see the balance of the monies Ponto has been ordered to pay back.

“I’m in my 84th year now,” Martens told the Star/Journal, “I won’t live forever. She took my savings.”

The investigation started in June of 2008 when a search warrant was issued on bank accounts pertaining to Ponto, who at that time resided in Chinook Cove.

The resultant investigation proved lengthy due to the fact that the theft had gone on from Jan. 1, 2007 until June of 2008.

Area RCMP noted the matter was taken very seriously – “gaining trust of a senior, and abusing it will not be tolerated.”

Martens says she has been physically ill, sad, and upset about the fraud, and how someone she trusted could have been stealing from her all along.

“ I liked her very much,” said Martens in an earlier interview, “I thought she was a terrific person. But I think I was vulnerable because I felt alone, even though I have family here.”

Judge Stephen Harris sentenced Ponto to a 12 month conditional sentence from Oct. 30, 2009 to Oct. 29, 2010, which will include four months of house arrest. She also received a one year probation order to be served from Oct. 20, 2010 to Oct. 29, 2011. A number of conditions are also stipulated during the two year period, including; Not to see or accept Power of Attorney from any person during this order, and not to undertake any financial transaction on behalf of a third party except for members of her family.

Ponto also has to pay restitution to Martens in the amount of $9,356.60.

Ponto, who has since moved to the town of Nakusp, has a history of previous convictions for similar crimes; Theft Over $5,000 in 1989, and Theft Under $5,000 in 1980. One being from an organization where she was active as a volunteer.

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