Centrelink Fraud Melbourne County Court
Charges
4 x Obtaining a Financial Advantage. Melbourne County Court of Victoria.
Facts
It was alleged that the client had been in receipt of fraudulent Centrelink payments in excess of $250 000. This had been achieved by using a fake identity over a 20 year period.
Results
Following extensive negotiations, the matter was resolved on behalf of the client. The total figure was reduced to $145 000, the alleged period of offending was reduced to 10 years, and two of the charges were withdrawn.
The greater the amount of money defrauded, and the longer the period of the offence, the more severe the sentence is. So this reduction was a great outcome for the client.
The client pleaded guilty in the Melbourne County Court to the reduced charges, and received a 12 month gaol sentence with six months to be served immediately and the balance to be served on parole.
This was an outstanding result under the circumstances. The client’s level of offending was a serious example of Centrelink fraud. Had he pleaded guilty to the original charges he would have served a significantly longer period in prison.
