Paul Champagne's long-awaited sentencing hearing has netted the former Department of National Defence staffer a seven-year prison term.
However, Mr. Champagne is eligible for day parole after serving one-sixth of the sentence, in other words, Mr. Champagne could be walking the streets of Ottawa again in 14 months.
The sentence is the result of a plea bargain between government prosecutors and Mr. Champagne's lawyer.
Mr Champagne pleaded guilty to defrauding taxpayers of $100 million while he worked at DND. For some 12 years, Mr. Champagne deposited cash into his own personal bank accounts, allegedly unbeknownst to his superiors and coworkers, buying mansions in Ottawa and the Turks and Caicos, extensive landscaping and expensive vehicles.
Mr. Champagne did return some funds to DND, which was a mitigating factor in Mr. Champagne's relatively light sentence for a theft of that size.
The federal government said it is no longer pursuing the return of the rest of the money.
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