Harvey to serve house arrest for fake invoices

JANE ARMSTRONG Globe and Mail VANCOUVER --
Sean Harvey, the former wunderkind mayor of Vernon, has been given a one-year conditional sentence for abusing his city hall expense account with claims for pricey dinners and trips to the United States that weren't related to his job. Mr. Harvey, 36, must spend the first six months under house arrest and the second part under a curfew. He was sentenced yesterday by Vernon provincial Judge Brad Chapman, who also ordered the former politician to pay back the money to city taxpayers. The unauthorized expenses amounted to more than $13,000 and began in 2003 during his second term as mayor of the picturesque Okanagan city. So far, Mr. Harvey has returned about $5,000. Outside court, Mr. Harvey spoke briefly to reporters before rushing off to a hospital where his fiancée was in labour. "I'm really looking forward to paying back my debt to society and making things right and then getting on with my life," he said. "I still have a lot to give and I still have a lot to accomplish," the ex-mayor said, adding he was in a hurry to get to his fiancée's side. "If I miss that, then I'll really be in big trouble."
Mr. Harvey pleaded guilty last month to one count of breach of trust by a public official. A separate charge of fraud was stayed. At the time of his conviction, Crown attorney Stephen Cooke said Mr. Harvey crumbled under the pressure of his job and "sought comfort in entertainment." Most of Mr. Harvey's offences were unauthorized restaurant meals. The former mayor said he was dining with various B.C. politicians when he submitted the invoices. But these leaders, include Kelowna Mayor Walter Gray, later denied the meetings. Other invoiced expenses included flights to Detroit, Vancouver and Las Vegas. Mr. Harvey confessed in a tearful apology in a Vernon court last month. The former mayor, who moved to his parents' home in Salmon Arm after his arrest, apologized to voters and his political colleagues, saying his actions made their jobs harder because the public is already disenchanted with politicians. "We live in a time of an increasing mistrust of public officials and I've contributed to that," Mr. Harvey said. "I apologize to my family and my loved ones and friends. Their support has never wavered and I truly regret the shame I've brought on them." At 29, Mr. Harvey was Vernon's youngest mayor when he was first elected in 1999.
He resigned in April, 2005, after it was learned that he submitted 90 false expense claims for restaurants in five cities: Vernon, Kelowna, Salmon Arm, Vancouver and Victoria. After his resignation, he struggled to find work but eventually found a job as a manager for a company that leases storage containers. The former mayor's actions came to light after two Kelowna residents provided a television station with copies of the mayor's expense account information, which they obtained through a freedom-of-information request.