Dufferin women accused of defrauding hockey parents has first court appearance

Written By Paula Brown

Local Journalism Initiative Reporter

A woman facing multiple charges for allegedly defrauding several parents of a local house league hockey team has made her first appearance in court. 

Chantelle Roberts appeared in an Orangeville courtroom via Zoom on Tuesday (May 9) before Justice of the Peace,
N.R Burgess. 

During the first appearance, duty counsel asked that the case be remanded for four weeks for Roberts to complete an application for legal aid and to retain counsel. 

“I can advise that Ms. Roberts has spoken with duty counsel, and we've given her a referral for legal aid. She just started that application this morning,” explained Janice Newton, a legal aid worker with Legal Aid Ontario. 

Roberts was charged with six counts of fraud under $5,000 by Dufferin OPP on April 8 for allegedly scamming several families with youth who play in the Orangeville Minor Hockey house league. 

The defrauded families alleged they paid Roberts, who was pretending to be the team's trainer, for hotel accommodations and two hockey tournaments she had never registered them for. 

Roberts was remanded to appear in an Orangeville courtroom on June 6 at 9 a.m. to be spoken to.