Canadian mint employee, 35, who smuggled 22 gold pucks in his rectum has $145,900 fine reduced in court

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A former Royal Canadian Mint employee who stole 22 cookie-sized pieces of refined gold by hiding them in his rectum has his $145,900 fine lessened in court.

Leston Lawrence, 35, was sentenced to 30 months in prison last year after stealing the pieces from the mint and selling 17 of them through Ottawa Gold Buyers.

At the time of his sentencing, Ontario Court judge Peter Doody ordered Lawrence to pay a fine of US $145,900 (CA $190,000), a fine that has been reduced.

Earlier this month, three judges ruled that Lawrence’s fine should be reduced by nearly $60,000 because the gold he stole was not as valuable when he stole and sold it as it was when he was ordered to pay it back, according to the Ottawa Citizen. 

At the time of his sentencing, Lawrence was ordered to pay back nearly half the value of the gold, which was about $145,900. 

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Former Royal Canadian Mint employee, Leston Lawrence (pictured after stealing the gold), 35, who stole 22 cookie-sized pieces of refined gold by hiding them in his rectum has his $145,900 fine lessened in court

A judge ordered him to pay a fine of US $145,900 (CA $190,000). Lawrence, 35, was also sentenced to 30 months in prison last year after stealing the pieces from the mint and selling 17 of them through Ottawa Gold Buyers

But earlier this month, three judges ruled that in order for Lawrence to avoid extra jail time he should have to pay back the amount he sold the gold for, which was $130,206.19, instead of the $145,900. Pictured is one of the 'pucks' he stole 

He had three years from the end of his full sentence to pay it, and if he couldn't, he would have to be re-incarcerated for another 30 months.

In July, Lawrence's lawyers argued that the judge wrongly used the then-market value of the gold to determine the fine instead of the amount that their client had actually stolen.   

According to his lawyers, the gold was only worth about $165,000 at the time Lawrence stole it. He was able to sell it for about $130,000. 

Therefore, his lawyer argued that the fine was unfair because it was more money than it would have cost the mint to replace it.

In the end, the judges ruled that in order for Lawrence to avoid jail time he should have to pay back the amount he sold the gold for, which was $130,206.19.

At the time, Judge Doody noted there was no video of Lawrence stealing the 22 gold 'pucks' and there were no witnesses.

However, there was video of Lawrence setting off a metal detector while trying to smuggle out some of the gold. 

Court testimony indicated that Lawrence was involved in purifying recently procured gold and sometimes worked alone, out of sight of security cameras, when creating the gold 'pucks'.   

He worked at the mint from 2008 until March 2015. 

In February 2015, Lawrence aroused suspicion in a bank employee after he asked to cash two checks worth $15,200 from Ottawa Gold Buyers.

At the time of the incident, Judge Doody noted there was no video of Lawrence stealing the 22 gold 'pucks' and there were no witnesses. However, there was video of Lawrence setting off a metal detector (pictured) while trying to smuggle out some of the gold

He reportedly told the bank teller that he had sold 'gold nuggets' when she asked what the money was for.

The bank then tipped off police, who put Lawrence under surveillance.

Lawrence set off the metal detector more times than any other employee without metal implants, Doody said in his ruling. 

But searches with hand wands never discovered the smuggled gold hidden in his body cavity.

Police seized a gold puck that Lawrence had sold and found four more in his safety deposit box.

Vaseline and latex gloves were later found in Lawrence's locker, which 'could have been used to facilitate insertion of gold items inside his rectum,' according to Doody.