He entered provincial politics by winning the Nanaimo and the Islands riding in the 1963 British Columbia election.

In the late 1950s, Stupich set up and controlled the Nanaimo Commonwealth Holding Society (NCHS), which raised funds on behalf of the NDP.

But after a tip that something was amiss from the head of the Nanaimo Commonwealth Bingo Association, the RCMP launched an investigation.

He pleaded guilty that year to fraud and running an illegal lottery, involving the misappropriation of about $1 million from the NCHS.

[6] Related charges against Stupich's partner Elizabeth Marlow and daughter Marjorie Boggis were stayed as part of a complex plea bargain.