Former Kashechewan co-manager charged with fraud due back in court next month

A Thunder Bay man charged accused of diverting more than $1 million in public money while he was co-manager of a Northern Ontario First Nation community is due back in court next month.

Giuseppe (Joe) Crupi, 50, from Thunder Bay, Ont., made a brief appearance in Thunder Bay court on Wednesday.

He was released on a recognizance with a $75,000 deposit, and is due back in court on Oct. 11.

Crupi was charged on Sept. 20 after an RCMP investigation revealed $1.2 million in public funds was fraudulently obtained for Kashechewan First Nation from the National Child Benefit Reinvestment program between 2007 and 2012.

The money was earmarked to provide breakfasts for approximately 400 elementary school children in Kashechewan. 

The RCMP also alleges that CRUPI misappropriated nearly $700,000 of the money for his personal use.

Crupi was the co-manager at Kashechewan First Nation at the time the fraud occured, and was responsible for managing funds obtained from the federal government.

The funds originally came from Indigenous and Northern Affairs Canada.

The RCMP release doesn't indicate where the remainder of the money went.