Brenda Martin's parole tightened after booze trouble

A Trenton, Ontario woman jailed for fraud in Mexico, and who became a celebrity convict, whisked back to Canada on a private jet at a cost to taxpayers of $83,000, is in trouble with parole authorities, a National Parole Board document obtained by Cancrime reveals. The board has slapped a slew of stricter conditions on Brenda Martin (above) after "recurring incidents of excessive alcohol consumption." Read the complete decision after the jump.



Martin was heralded by some supporters as an innocent swept up in a corrupt Mexican justice system. She gave teary interviews, threatening suicide if she wasn't released from a Mexican jail. She was convicted of fraud and served two years behind bars before the Canadian government stepped in, in the face of a vocal public campaign by Martin supporters. In early May 2008, Martin was flown back to Canada and sent to a federal women's prison in Kitchener, Ontario. She was paroled within a week (read 2008 decision), with just two special conditions attached to her release: that she must disclose all financial dealings to her parole supervisor and she was ordered not to associate with criminals. Two days ago, the parole board put a tighter leash on Martin, imposing four new conditions. A parole document dated November 24 explains:

The Board is in receipt of a submission from the Correctional Service of Canada recommending the imposition of the above noted special conditions in light of difficulties recently encountered during your release. There have been recurring incidents of excessive alcohol consumption commencing in July 2009 and you were heavily under the influence when you engaged in [deleted in doc] behaviour by [deleted in doc] on September 16, 2009.

When Martin was paroled last year, the board had noted a previous drunk driving conviction. It has now ordered her to abstain from buying or drinking booze. She's barred from going to places where the primary business is alcohol sales and she has to follow a treatment plan and counselling arranged by supervisors, "to address difficulties in the areas of substance abuse issues." She's also required to follow psychological counselling arranged by her parole supervisor to "address personal and emotional issues," according to the November 24 document.

Parole board members refused to impose that latter condition when she was paroled in May 2008, although it had been recommended at the time by Corrections Canada staff.

The new parole document also reveals that Martin appears to be now staying at a halfway house, an arrangement that wasn't required when she was first freed on full parole. Freed inmates are usually placed at a halfway house when they're released on day parole, but Martin got full parole. This is an indicator her parole is not going well. The document notes:

You are not emotionally stable but you are amenable to treatment to help you deal with stress and depression. While you appear to have responded favourably to the enhanced supervision and the additional structure provided by the halfway house, your insight into your offence cycle is oscillating and you remain fragile.

Martin was convicted in Mexico of participating in a $60-million Internet scam run by Canadian Alyn Waage. He was convicted of fraud in 2006. Mexican investigators said Martin, who worked as Waage's chef in Puerto Vallarta for 10 months, accepted a severance package knowing that the cash came from the scam.

Martin maintained her innocence, saying she didn't know about Waage's fraud. Waage corroborated her story.

This parole decision will no doubt draw close scrutiny in Ottawa, since Martin's case became highly politicized. She's one step away from having her parole revoked, which would be humiliating for politicians who rallied to her aid.

Previous post: Documents reveal parole dispute

Read it all

Documents: Martin parole records reveal dispute

Most media reports ignored some controversy in the Brenda Martin parole case. She's the Trenton, Ont., woman who spent two years in a Mexican prison.
She was convicted there of money laundering. After a furious public campaign in Canada, she was transferred to a Canadian prison, then quickly paroled. She has maintained she was railroaded in Mexico. Corrections Canada staff who assessed her recommended she be ordered to undergo psychological counselling after release, according to a record of her May 9, 2008, parole decision. The parole board refused to order it. (Copies of parole decision documents are publicly available.)

Martin's case made national headlines. [Canoe, Globe, CBC, CTV, Star , National Post,] Only the Post included Martin's parole decision records in its online coverage and virtually no one flagged the dispute between Corrections and the National Parole Board. NPB decisions are made by patronage appointees, not public servants. Board members hold hearings and interview prisoners and in some cases simply review files. They take advice from Corrections staff who have worked with the inmates. In this case, no one had much chance to work with Martin. She was paroled after just a week at Grand Valley Institution in Kitchener, Ont., a federal prison for women.

It's not unusual for parole board members to reject the advice of Corrections staff, but it chafes when they do and in this case the board members offered scant explanation for rejecting the recommendation. It may be that board members thought zealous Corrections workers were covering their butts with an onerous recommendation in a high-profile case. If that's the case, they didn't say it. If Martin runs afoul of the law again, Corrections staff will be able to say they wanted a tighter leash on her.

Read it all