Hohepa Morehu-Barlow: Kiwi fraudster jailed for defrauding Queensland Government of A$16 (NZ$20M)

March 20, 2013 by Leave a Comment

A flamboyant Kiwi fraudster who defrauded the Queensland Government of A$16 million ($20 million) has been sentenced to 14 years in an Australian prison. Former Brisbane socialite Hohepa Morehu-Barlow, who grew up in Thames, has admitted systematically stealing the money while working for Queensland Health.

Morehu-Barlow, who was also known as Joel Barlow, pleaded guilty to eight charges relating to fraud and drug offences when he appeared in the Brisbane District Court today.

His offending, the largest ever fraud against the state government, funded an extravagant lifestyle that made Morehu-Barlow one of Brisbane’s fashionable high flyers.

For more see:

http://www.odt.co.nz/news/world/australia/250045/kiwi-pleads-guilty-20m-fraud

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White collar crime: Heavy sentences imposed on offenders convicted of premeditated fraud

October 19, 2012 by Leave a Comment

The offending of Jacqui Bradley, the former financial adviser jailed today for seven years and five months on fraud charges, was premeditated and left many elderly investors financially and emotionally ruined, the Auckland District Court heard.

[This fraud case has some similarities to the 2009 conviction of Michael Swann who was given a 9.5 year jail sentence relating to a huge fraud against the Otago District Health Board. See http://www.spcs.org.nz/tag/michael-swann/ ].

A jury last month found Bradley, aged 61, guilty of 75 charges of fraud after a five-week trial. Bradley ran the failed finance company B’On Financial Services with her late husband Mike until it collapsed in December 2009 owing 28 investors $15.5 million.

Judge Christopher Field, in sentencing today, said the extent of loss, harm and damage was “very significant indeed”…..

It’s the third prosecution involving an affinity fraud by financial advisers that the SFO has completed in the past three months with offending across all three cases totalling almost $21m.

In other recent white collar crime cases those found guilty received a range of sentences in line with that handed out to Jacqui Bradley today.

Former Capital + Merchant directors Wayne Douglas and Neal Nicholls were give 7 and a half years jail in July on various fraud counts involving about $28m of transactions after Justice Edwin Wylie said they were motivate by greed and self-interest. DataSouth director Gavin Bennett got 8 years jail in May for defrauding South Canterbury Finance while Bridgecorp director Rod Petricevic got almost 7 years in April for misleading investors and spending company money on a luxury yacht.

Former ASB bank employee Stephen Velsalko got six years jail time in a 2010 case involving $17m stolen from his employer while in 2009 Michael Swann was given 9.5 years relating to a huge fraud against the Otago District Health Board.

For more see: Bradley offending premeditated. Story by Nick Kraus

http://www.stuff.co.nz/business/money/7837957/Bradley-offending-premeditated

Further reading:

See: http://www.spcs.org.nz/2010/michael-swann-checketts-mckay-fraud-and-otago-dhbs-missing-6-million-report/

http://www.spcs.org.nz/2010/michael-swann-computer-south-ltd-and-checketts-mckay-law/

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Wine dealer convicted of $1.3 million fraud – Fairfax NZ News

March 24, 2012 by Leave a Comment

A former fine wine consultant at an exclusive Auckland auction house has been convicted of 16 counts of fraud after defrauding affluent clients of over $1.3 million – including faking vintages. [Read more...]

Filed Under: Crime Tagged With: ,

Fraud Awareness Week – 19-24 March 2012

March 20, 2012 by Leave a Comment

The prevalence of the crime of fraud in New Zealand society is one obvious symptom of moral corruption. Fraud Awareness Week kicked off yesterday. It is estimated that Kiwis lose $448 milion to scams each year. The SPCS supports all enforcement agencies that seek to crack down on all forms of fraud, including the Consumer Affairs Ministry that seeks to inform people how to avoid becoming victims of fraud.

Scammer’s Tricks

Some of the most prolific or highest-loss scams: [Read more...]

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SFO charges five in South Canterbury Finance probe

December 7, 2011 by Leave a Comment

The total fraud alleged in the South Canterbury Finance (SCF) case is $1.7 billion, the same amount as the taxpayer bailout of the company.

The Serious Fraud Office (SFO) confirmed today it has laid 21 charges in the Timaru District Court against five people involved in the company’s affairs.

It wouldn’t name the individuals involved until the charges are heard before the court and any issues regarding suppression have been fully dealt with.

SFO boss Adam Feeley confirmed the total estimated value of the allegedly fraudulent transactions was about $1.7 billion, which includes an esimated $1.59 billion from entering the Crown Retail Deposits Guarantee Scheme.

South Canterbury collapsed in August 2010, eventually triggering a $1.7 billion taxpayer payout.

“The collapse of SCF was one the most significant of all the failed finance companies. The value of the fraud alleged to have been committed exceeds anything in the history of white-collar crime in New Zealand, and the time we have taken to complete this matter is a reflection of that scale,” Feeley said.

 The SFO spent 14 months investigating the company and the charges it has laid cover a variety of offences, including theft by a person in a special relationship; obtaining by deception; false statements by the promoter of a company; and false accounting.  The offences carry maximum penalties of between seven and ten years imprisonment.

“It is not appropriate at this point to comment on details of the allegations, but the investigation itself has been one of the most resource-intensive and time-consuming in recent history,” Feeley said.

For more see: http://www.stuff.co.nz/business/industries/6101880/SFO-charges-five-in-South-Canterbury-Finance-probe  Story by Fiona Rotherham. Published 7 December 2011

[Read more...]

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AUT fraudster Jonathan Kirkpatrick jailed

October 6, 2011 by Leave a Comment

Jonathan Kirkpatrick, the former dean of Dunedin’s St Paul’s Cathedral and former partner of ex-Labour MP Tim Barnett, who was recently convicted for fraud, was sentenced today in the Auckland District Court to three years and two months jail.

Fairfax Media report:

A former manager at the Auckland University of Technology stole over $600,000 from his employer and frittered it away on a lavish lifestyle, flash cars and holidays, a court has heard.

Today his extravagance caught up with him.

Jonathan Kirkpatrick, 53, was sentenced to three years, two months’ imprisonment for the fraud in the Auckland District Court today for stealing $666,000 from AUT between 2002 and May this year.

Crown lawyer Rachael Reed said over eight and a half years, Kirkpatrick used over 82 invoices paid out to companies he set up to steal the hefty sum.

He was authorised in his role, as CEO of AUT’s business innovation centre, to issue invoices of up to $15,000 without supervision.

Reed said Kirkpatrick spent the money on top of his salary, which was $90,000 when he began at AUT in 2002 and rose to $150,000 by the time he resigned in July.

“This is a man who should have no need to steal but who obviously had taste beyond his salaried means,” she said.

Judge AA Sinclair said Kirkpatrick’s offending was motivated by greed. [Read more...]

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Rev. Jonathan Kirkpatrick pleads guilty to AUT fraud – NZ Herald

August 17, 2011 by Leave a Comment

A former AUT staff member has admitted defrauding the university of more than half a million dollars. Jonathan Kirkpatrick, 53, resigned as chief executive of the university’s Business Innovation Centre after an internal investigation found “accounting discrepencies” involving $665,000. He pleaded guilty to seven fraud related charges when he appeared in the Auckland District Court this morning. He’ll be sentenced on October 6.

His offending involved more than $665,000 taken from AUT between 2002 and May this year. Kirkpatrick is the former Dean of St Paul’s Cathedral in Dunedin and ex-partner of former Labour MP Tim Barnett. Kirkpatrick has a high profile as a gay-rights advocate within the church. His relationship with Mr Barnett, the former Christchurch Central MP, lasted 18 years.

After the Herald broke the news of the police investigation, AUT moved quickly to file legal action against Kirkpatrick in the High Court at Auckland.

 

Priest pleads guilty to AUT fraud. By Hayden Donnell.Wednesday 17 August 2011
See: http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=10745640&ref=rss [Read more...]

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Former Anglican dean admits fraud – Otago Daily Times

August 17, 2011 by Leave a Comment

The former dean of Dunedin’s Anglican cathedral has admitted seven fraud charges involving $665,000 missing from the Auckland University of Technology (AUT).

Kirkpatrick is the former partner of former Labour MP Tim Barnett.

In 1996 he was made the 10th Dean of St Paul’s Cathedral in Dunedin, working with the country’s first female bishop, Penny Jamieson.

 Wednesday, 17 Aug 2011 Otago Daily Times

http://www.odt.co.nz/news/dunedin/173920/former-anglican-dean-admits-fraud

Jonathan Kirkpatrick pleaded guilty when he appeared in the Auckland District Court today and was remanded for sentence on October 6. [Read more...]

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Off-shore money-laundering scheme and fraudulent charity

April 4, 2011 by Leave a Comment

Charity warns of email scam – NZPA 4 April 2011

Full story: http://www.stuff.co.nz/national/4845694/Charity-warns-of-email-scam

A [legitimate] United States-based charity [CHOICE Humanitarian] is warning New Zealanders not to respond to unsolicited emails using its name and promising large sums of money. [Read more...]

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Charity worker defrauds 78-year-old widow of $2.4 million

April 2, 2011 by Leave a Comment

A charity worker, Paul Tuba Mika, conned a wealthy woman living in the upmarket Auckland suburb of Herne Bay, into believing he was a cancer-cure guinea pig in a bid to scam millions of dollars from her. [Read more...]

Filed Under: Crime Tagged With: , , ,
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