Volunteer charged with defrauding army cadets of $36k

 A popular volunteer and well-known former Burlington citizen of the year – and a founder of Crime Stoppers of Halton – has been charged with fraud for allegedly taking $36,000 from local army cadets.

Stuart Chapman, 75, is charged with three counts of fraud over $5,000, breach of trust and making a false statement.

Halton police arrested Chapman Wednesday. He is to appear in court in Milton Nov. 4.

Chapman, who attained the rank of major as a cadet volunteer, has not been associated with the organization since September last year.

Detective Duncan Taylor, of the Halton police fraud unit, said the investigation began in April last year when the Army Cadet League of Canada, which oversees 450 cadet programs in Canada, noticed “inconsistencies” in the finances of 2379 Royal Canadian Army Cadet in Burlington.

The investigation included an audit of the corps’ finances and its funding from the City of Burlington as a non-profit organization, which receives support from the city.

Taylor said the charges cover the two-year period between September, 2006 and September, 2008, when Chapman was a volunteer chairperson of support in charge of finances with the cadet corps.

The corps is affiliated with the Royal Hamilton Light Infantry of Hamilton.

Police allege Chapman “fraudulently remunerated himself” with more than $36,000, belonging to the corps.

Taylor said audits revealed the suspect had issued himself a salary of more $19,000 each year.

“There were ‘discrepancies’ regarding receipts,” Taylor said

Chapman was named Burlington’s citizen of the year in 1998 for his civic involvement, which has included everything from co-founding Crime Stoppers of Halton in 1978, to years of service with the St. Johns Ambulance, minor hockey associations and service on various city hall committees.

Chapman retired in 1997 after selling Chapman Morris Advertising Ltd., a firm he began with the late Lillian Morris in Burlington in 1969.

But he might be best known in Burlington for his car, a fixture at cruise nights and parades for many years.

Chapman was the Studebaker director of advertising and public relations at the plant where they built the cars Hamilton, the one given the job in 1966 of telling the world the car company was shutting down.

Along the way, Chapman became known as the face and spokesman of the 200-member Studebaker Drivers Club Hamilton chapter and served as international president of the larger 14,000-member Studebaker car club.

From The Hamilton Spectator (TheSpec.com)