KITCHENER - A supervisor whose greed cost several co-workers at the University of Waterloo their jobs was sentenced Friday to 16 months in jail.

Jacqueline Hollmann, 45, admitted stealing $750,000 over a four-year period to fund a lavish lifestyle while she was in charge of the university's copy centres.

The loss led to the closure of a department that operated the centres as an ancillary business unit, putting several people out of work.

"It is, in effect, as if the accused had stolen money directly from her co-workers - money they counted on for mortgages, the welfare of their families, a roof over their heads and bread on the table," UW official Geoff McBoyle wrote in a victim statement.

A small, nondescript woman who worked at the university for 18 years, Hollmann used two schemes between early 2007 and early 2011.

One involved $390,000 in bogus electronic refunds to numerous bank accounts and credit cards she held.

In the other, Hollmann simply pocketed $360,000 in cash payments made at the copy centres.

The money was all blown on expensive clothes, shoes, horses and trips, including an excursion in Africa to take photographs.

Kitchener court was told Hollmann bought so many new clothes that she gave some to charity, sold some and had many items with the price tags still on them when she got caught.

Defence lawyer Tom Brock said Hollmann has emotional issues stemming from the loss of her father during her formative years and was searching for "security, love and well-being" on her buying sprees.

He said she has taken counselling and has been diagnosed with mental-health problems including anxiety, depression and a borderline personality disorder.

"It is within that context that the court must assess her culpability," said Brock, who argued for a 15-month jail term.

Justice David Carr also took into account that Hollmann had no prior record, got fired and has separated from her husband, also a UW employee.

She came to court with a restitution cheque for $27,500, her half of the proceeds from the sale of their matrimonial home.

"That's a start, but it . doesn't even come remotely close to replacing the money the university has lost," Carr told her.

The scam was uncovered after a company that provides an electronic payment system at UW noted an unusually high amount of refunds at the copy centre, most for just under $1,000.

Red flags were also raised by electronic refunds made after business hours and on weekends. Concerns then triggered an audit.

McBoyle, vice-president academic and provost at UW, said the scams hurt cash-strapped students as well because prices had to be hiked to cover losses.

Hollmann was also placed on probation for three years, with an order to pay the university $250 a month during that time.

After she got fired, she worked with horses netting about $1,800 a month and told the judge she intends to declare bankruptcy when she gets out of custody.

As a result, Carr made a standalone restitution order for only $25,000 - not the full amount of the remaining loss - because it seems so unlikely she will ever be in a position to pay more.

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Such orders are similar to judgments in civil lawsuits.

The token order issued by Carr was in stark contrast to an order made by another judge in another Kitchener courtroom just the day before.

Jennifers Killins, who ripped off clients for $1.3 million while pretending to be a financial adviser, was ordered by Justice Colin Westman to compensate her victims for all of their losses despite the fact she is also broke.