“She was actually a good friend, someone we would have dinner with and meet up with outside of work.”
Jon Allen and his wife Myra, owners of Alberta Orthotic and Prosthetics Centre, share how a 46-year-old Monika Manhas of Gold River, British Columbia, was first referred to them by a friend when they were looking for someone to help them with basic bookkeeping – and how she ended up working with them full time .
Monkia Manhas, of Gold River, B.C., is accused of stealing more than $575,000 from a Calgary family business over a four-year period — just years after she was accused of embezzling a similar sum from a Calgary oil and gas company.
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Their business is to make orthotics, such as ankle braces and artificial arms and legs, to help children and adults who have mobility problems resulting from muscle deficiencies, deformities or, in some cases, an accident cerebrovascular.
“The difference he makes in people’s lives every day, saving lives, is that he can literally have someone come to him in a wheelchair and walk out – little children born with different conditions and he can make them walk for the first time on a new stage,” said Myra, beaming with pride, about Jon’s chosen profession.
Myra Allen beams with pride when she talks about her husband Jon’s chosen profession and “the difference he makes in people’s lives every day.”
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Myra, who trained as a pharmacist, was diagnosed with breast cancer in 2018.
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Thus, faced with a growing business, they claim to have entrusted Manhas with more and more responsibilities, taking care of the payroll of their dozen employees, the payment of suppliers and the management of the company’s money. ‘business.
At first, “there was no indication that anything was happening” – and Jon was focused on his patients, not bookkeeping.
“We were a growing company and we were acquiring a lot more inventory and, you know, costs were even increasing with salaries and such. So it seemed logical,” Jon said.
As the company continued to struggle to make money, Jon said he thought, “What’s going on?
The owners of Alberta Orthotics and Prosthetics Center in Calgary say the woman accused of stealing more than $500,000 from them was once considered “a good friend.”
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“That’s one of the things that really makes me sad,” Jon added.
“I let one of our clinicians go because the way things were being done, and you know, this clinician is a friend, that’s when it really started to hurt people. “
The Alberta Orthotic and Prosthetics Center specializes in manufacturing orthotics, braces and artificial limbs for children and adults with mobility issues such as muscle deformities or deformities.
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Then, in 2023, Jon and his sons were returning from a family wedding in Mexico – driving from Vancouver to Calgary – when he received a call from Myra who had just read a press release from the Calgary police about Manhas faces fraud charges — accused of embezzling $537,141 from Calgary oil and gas company.
“So I pulled over and let my older son drive and just started making calls,” Jon said.
“We went into my account and I sat there until midnight – like it was crazy – and we looked through it and I was like ‘my God’.”
Jon and Myra said they went straight to the police to make a report.
“So once me and my accountant went through that, we found out that in order to continue, you had to hire a forensic accountant,” Jon said. “That’s what we did; it cost $74,000.
“My retirement money,” Myra said.
On Thursday, January 23, following an investigation by the Calgary Police Service’s Economic Crimes Unit, Manhas was accused of fraud and theft – accused of embezzling more than $575,000 from the Allen family business over a four-year period.
Police allege the criminal activity began in 2019, around the time Myra was diagnosed with breast cancer.
They accuse Manhas “of making unauthorized payments and wire transfers disguised as advances, refunds and bonuses, of using the company’s credit card for 290 unauthorized transactions, and of using bank checks.” company to pay for personal effects.
She faces charges of fraud over $5,000 and theft over $5,000 and is due in court on March 3, 2025.
Although these are still just allegations, Jon described the accusations as “a relief.”
“We still owe hundreds of thousands of dollars,” he said.
While the company had 12 employees, it now has six, but “we’re managing to keep our heads above water,” Jon adds.
“We’re broke,” Myra said, “but we’re not.”
Global Calgary reached out to Manhas for comment, but she did not respond.
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