Christmas market organizer who gambled away vendor deposits pleads guilty

The Cambridge, Ont., woman who gambled away deposits from Christmas market vendors pleaded guilty Wednesday to a fraud charge.

Stacy Cliff, 52, admitted she lost the money in an interview with CTV News Kitchener on Oct. 27.

“I don’t know what happened,” she told reporter Stefanie Davis over the phone. “It all just snowballed. I kept thinking that I’d spend $100 here, $100 there and I’d be able to get a big win and put it all back. And that never happened.”

Court heard that Cliff gambled away $11,385 in deposits.

On Wednesday, she pled guilty to fraud over $5,000.

History of the case

Cliff was the organizer of two Christmas markets in Waterloo Region. One of them, “It’s a Christmas Market,” was scheduled for Nov. 12.

A total of 81 vendors signed up to sell their wares at the holiday events, paying anywhere from $55 to $275 to secure their spots.

On Oct. 26, Cliff made a post in a private Facebook group. She said the upcoming event was cancelled and admitted that she lost the money from vendors.

“It is with my most profound apologies that my mental health addiction compiled with my absolute selfishness has created a storm I cannot control,” the post read. “So many of you have followed me, had faith and trusted me through good and bad events. I’ve taken that trust, and wors[e], your money, and have done the very worst I can do, which is not putting it where it belongs.”

Cliff’s sentence

On Wednesday, Cliff apologized to the court for her actions.

“I’m really, really sorry that I’ve hurt hardworking people and I just wish I could take it all back,” Cliff told the judge. “I know I can’t. I’m just really sorry.”

Court heard that her gambling addiction dated back 30 years and she also had other mental health issues.

Cliff’s lawyers stated that her criminality was 100 per cent linked to her addiction.

“When she’s gambling she just cannot stop,” they said. “It’s just an insidious addiction that takes over her life.”

Justice Craig Parry called the case a serious matter, adding that he didn’t believe Cliff was free from her gambling addiction.

“Each individual complainant was not out great sums of money,” he said. “On an individual basis, no one’s life finances are ruined, but they are at a loss.”

Parry felt jail time wasn’t appropriate in Cliff’s case.

She was ultimately sentenced to 18 months of probation and mandatory counselling. Cliff was also given 120 hours of community service, but due to her physical health, that will instead be replaced with 120 hours of gambling counselling.