As his trial enters the sentencing phase, former Coquitlam mayor Jon Kingsbury is asking supporters to write letters on his behalf outlining the work he has done in the community.
Last Friday, B.C. Supreme Court Justice Miriam Gropper found Kingsbury guilty of impersonation with intent to gain advantage, forgery and fraud over $5,000; she found the 65-year-old not guilty of theft over $5,000.
The reference letters, according to Kingsbury, will be used at his sentencing to show the judge some of the contributions he has made to his community through the Kinsmen, Scouts Canada and holding public office.
"To anyone who cares, I Jon Kingsbury need help," he wrote in bold red letters in the email he sent to supporters over the weekend. "Although I was not found guilty of theft of the trailer, I am being convicted with impersonation, fraud and forgery over picking up the trailer. So I need to convince them that I am a good character and I am a good citizen."
In the email, Kingsbury asks for letters of reference that are no more than two pages long that outline specific examples of what he has done for the community.
Kingsbury told The Tri-City News that he had distributed the email to a large number of individuals and said he had already heard back from several people. While he would not mention the names he said all of the information will be made public when it is read into the record at his sentencing hearing.
"This is the time when you want your friends and associates to stand up for your character," he said.
Kingsbury is asking supporters to bring the letters to his Austin Heights home or to his wife's work. (Linda Kingsbury is the constituency assistant to Port Moody-Westwood BC Liberal MLA Iain Black at his Port Moody office.)
The charges relate to an incident in the summer of 2008, when Kingsbury took a trailer belonging to his former business associate Jean Aussant from a Langley RV dealership.
Much of Gropper's reasons for judgment focused on testimony Kingsbury gave concerning the signature he used to gain access to the trailer. She agreed with Crown prosecutor Brian McKinley's assertion that Kingsbury signed Aussant's name on the work order so he could take the vehicle from the dealership.
"The signature on the back of the work order is not his usual signature," she said in giving her reasons for judgment last Friday. "The word after the 'J' looks like it begins with an 'A' and ends with a 'T'."
While Kingsbury was found guilty on three charges, he was found not guilty on the charge of theft over $5,000.
Gropper said Kingsbury believed, rightly or wrongly, that he had an ownership stake in the trailer and therefore was allowed to take it. Kingsbury asserted throughout his trail that he had loaned Aussant the $24,000 to purchase the trailer and that he was only trying to recoup some of the losses related to a soured business arrangement when he took the vehicle.
But the judge said that by allowing the staff at the RV dealership to believe he was Aussant and signing Aussant's signature on the work order, Kingsbury broke the law.
"They found me not guilty of stealing the trailer," he said in an interview. "They just didn't like the way I picked it up."
Kingsbury said he would be in discussion with his lawyer as to whether he would launch an appeal.
Outside the courtroom last Friday, Aussant said he was happy with the judge's decision.
"The fraud was more serious than the theft," he said. "Justice has been rendered."
Kingsbury's one-week trial took place in February and the court is expected to set a date for sentencing this week. He was first elected mayor of Coquitlam in 1998 after spending several years as a councillor. He last ran for office in 2006, when he lost the mayor's race to Maxine Wilson.
