Christmas market organizer who gambled away vendor deposits pleads guilty [Video]

The Cambridge, Ont., woman who gambled away deposits from Christmas market vendors pleaded guilty Wednesday to a fraud charge.

Stacy Cliff, 52, admitted she lost the money in an interview with CTV News Kitchener on Oct. 27.

“I don’t know what happened,” she told reporter Stefanie Davis over the phone. “It all just snowballed. I kept thinking that I’d spend $100 here, $100 there and I’d be able to get a big win and put it all back. And that never happened.”

Court heard that Cliff gambled away $11,385 in deposits.

On Wednesday, she pled guilty to fraud over $5,000.

History of the case

Cliff was the organizer of two Christmas markets in Waterloo Region. One of them, “It’s a Christmas Market,” was scheduled for Nov. 12.

A total of 81 vendors signed up to sell their wares at the holiday events, paying anywhere from $55 to $275 to secure their spots.

On Oct. 26, Cliff made a post in a private Facebook group. She said the upcoming event was cancelled and …