Social worker accused of stealing from B.C. kids in foster care sentenced to jail time

Robert Riley Saunders is seen in this Facebook photo from 2017.

A British Columbia social worker will spend time behind bars after pleading guilty in a case involving money stolen from children in the province's care system.

Robert Riley Saunders, who pleaded guilty last year to charges including fraud over $5,000, has been sentenced to five years in jail.

The B.C. Prosecution Service told CTV News Monday that the five-year jail term was tied to the fraud charge, but that Saunders was also sentenced to two years on a breach of trust charge. That time will be served concurrently.

Saunders, who had worked in Kelowna, was also given 30 days for one count of forgery, which will be served consecutively.

With credit for the time he spent in custody prior to sentencing, the total is five years.

Saunders pleaded guilty after being accused of moving foster children away from stable homes so they would become eligible for financial benefits from his employer, the provincial Ministry of Children and Family Development.

He was originally charged with 10 counts of fraud over $5,000 and one count of theft over $5,000, along with breach of trust and a forged documents offence.

That last charge stemmed from what the court heard was a fake bachelor's degree Saunders used in the 1990s to get hired.

Last year, a First Nations leader said many of the children and families impacted by Saunders' actions were Indigenous, and many became homeless.

"They were further exploited on the streets, and some lost their lives. This demonstrates a failure of the justice system to actually serve out true justice for Indigenous people and youth," Kukpi7 (Chief) Jody Wilson with the Union of B.C. Indian Chiefs said in September 2021.

She called for extensive reference checks and monitoring to prevent future situations involving the exploitation of young people in care.

Prior to sentencing, the provincial government settled a class-action lawsuit with more than 100 people who said they were victims of Saunders, paying them a base amount of $25,000.

Additional payments were available to those who were Indigenous, had their education delayed, or experienced homelessness, sexual exploitation, psychological harm or injury.

Saunders never filed a response to the lawsuit.

In an emailed statement following the sentencing hearing, the B.C. Association of Social Workers said it supported the judge's decision and "believes it sends a message to the B.C. government to act to protect the public."

The BCASW wrote that the decision took into account the "significant impact" on the children impacted.

"Saunders deprived youth of the resources they need to succeed in life, particularly when they were leaving the care of the Ministry of Children and Family Development. It didn't need to be this way," president Michael Crawford said.

According to the association, Saunders was fired in 2018 following an investigation into the fake credentials and "financial irregularities."

He was not registered with the B.C. College of Social Workers prior to being hired, the group said, suggesting if he'd been required to do so, he wouldn't have been hired.

The group was critical of the MCFD's hiring process and the provincial B.C. Social Workers Act, saying it leads to confusion for the public and "significantly affects the trust the public and recipients of service can have in social workers."