Business Crime & Court Report

County RCMP officer facing charges for fraud, theft, breach of trust: A Pictou County District RCMP officer has been charged with two counts of fraud, one count of theft, and one count of breach of trust by a public officer. Const. Blair Francis Gorman is charged with stealing gasoline and defrauding the federal government of gasoline by the unauthorized use of the ARI vehicle credit card. Every federal government police officer is given an ARI card to purchase gasoline while on duty. Police say Gorman is alleged to have been stealing the gasoline from April 20 to July 14, 2007, and filling plastic gas cans with it. Cpl. Joe Taplin, spokesman for the RCMP, could not comment on the amount of gasoline stolen, but he says its value is under $5,000. Released on a promise to appear in court, Gorman will appear in the Nova Scotia Provincial Court in Pictou at 9:30 a.m. on September 11. Gorman is currently suspended from the RCMP with pay. - The News

Local firm defrauded by telephone scam artist: A Truro business was recently defrauded of more than $9,000. Truro police Sgt. Jim Flemming said the business received a telephone call around 11:30 a.m. from a man stating he was a computer technician for Western Union, a company with which the Truro business deals. The computer technician asked the employee to log onto the Western Union website and enter a series of numbers. Then the man told the worker to do a money transfer and he would cancel the transaction once it was put through. "After three large transactions were put through the employee became suspicious and called Western Union security," Flemming said. "The money was already stolen. The local business is responsible for the stolen money." Anyone receiving this call is asked to provide no information and press *57 after terminating the call to trace the number. - Truro Daily News

Pictou man in jail while police investigate car theft: A 20-year-old Pictou County male is in custody after allegedly stealing a motor vehicle from a local car dealership. New Glasgow police say that someone broke into Bill O'Farrell's GM dealership overnight Tuesday, and two GMC Equinoxes were stolen from the garage. Police apprehended the male, who was in one of the stolen vehicles, in Marshy Hope Wednesday morning and arrested him. They found the second stolen vehicle abandoned in Antigonish. Police are still investigating the incident, and charges are pending. Anybody with information can contact New Glasgow police or Crimestoppers at 1-800-222-8477. - The News

Pizza-delivery guilt: A Sydney man pleaded guilty yesterday to three charges, including pointing a firearm at a pizza-deliveryman. Garth Gilbert Lafford, 20, pleaded guilty to pointing a firearm, possession of a firearm while prohibited and breach of probation. The charges stem from an incident July 1 during which Lafford and his brother, Karlyle, were charged after a deliveryman reported being confronted with a rifle. Karlyle Lafford, 27, previously pleaded guilty to breaching a court order by failing to remain sober. Garth Lafford will be sentenced Sept. 20. - Staff, The Daily News