Former art gallery CEO charged

Posted May 10, 2012 3:35 pm.

This article is more than 5 years old.

The former president and CEO of the Art Gallery of Calgary has been charged with fraud.

Valerie Anne Cooper, 56, is charged with six counts of fraud, one count of theft, mischief, obstruction and falsifying documents.

Police laid the charges after a nine-month investigation that started with allegations that the art gallery had been defrauded.

Const. Tanya Bertulli tells 660News the allegations date back to July 2005 and police say the loss to the gallery is more than $438-thousand.

“The charges relate to allegations of false invoicing, personal purchase of paintings, good and services expensed through the gallery, fictitious loans and unauthorized increases in salary,” says Bertulli.

Kelowna’s Rotary Centre for the Arts withdrew a job offer to Cooper after hearing about the accusations.

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