A former Royal Canadian Mint refinery operator sentenced to 30 months in prison for stealing $165,000 worth of gold from the Crown corporation’s Ottawa facility had his fine lessened by nearly $16,000 this August.
In February 2017, 35-year-old Barrhaven resident Leston Lawrence made international headlines when prosecutors claimed he thwarted several layers of security by hiding gold pucks (worth about $6,800 each) inside his anal cavity. The court was told Lawrence brought small, circular chunks of gold, each weighing 210 grams, to Ottawa Gold Buyers in the Westgate Shopping Centre between November 2014 and March 2015.
When Lawrence was sentenced last year, he was also ordered by Ontario Court judge Peter Doody to pay a fine of $145,900 USD. This fine was recently reduced to $130,206.19 USD, the amount Lawrence received after selling 17 gold pucks.