CWU Office Assistant fined $25,000 for 10 counts of forgery

An office assistant with the Christian Workers Union has been ordered to pay the court twenty-five thousand dollars after he took a guilty plea for ten counts of forgery which left a credit union account short of six thousand five hundred dollars. The embezzlement occurred back in 2007.  Twenty-six year old Alex Reid was slapped with the huge fine when he appeared before Justice Adolph Lucas in the Supreme Court on Wednesday. Eight witnesses were called to testify including former CWU executives: Antonio Gonzalez, James McFoy and Dorva Grey, who were signatories to the account.  Their testimonies revealed that between May and June 2007, Reid cashed forty cheques totalling eighteen thousand six hundred dollars but on indictment only ten counts of the charges amounting to six thousand five hundred dollars were brought against him. When he was arrested Reid provided a caution statement which was ruled admissible and caused Reid to change his not guilty plea to guilty in light of the evidence against him.  Reid asked the court for leniency saying he was young and foolish and regretted his behaviour. Justice Lucas ordered him to pay a first instalment of five thousand dollars of the total fine by December twentieth. The balance must be paid in instalments of two thousand five hundred dollars every six months. If he defaults, Reid faces prison time.