StudyLink Worker Steals To Fund Gambling Addiction
August 31, 2015 | Fraud
A StudyLink worker stole $61,000 worth of student financial support payments to fund his gambling addiction.
Lower Hutt resident Josiah Thomas McIntyre, 23, admitted a charge of obtaining the money by deception while employed by the Ministry of Social Development.
He appeared for sentencing in the Hutt Valley District Court on August 26.
Judge Peter Butler said McIntyre's offending occured while he worked at a StudyLink contact centre in High St from 2011 to 2014.
Last year, he accessed the student records of 22 clients who had previously applied for some form of financial support, for example a student allowance or course related cost payment, but had since stopped recieving money.
McIntyre used his position to convince colleagues to authorise changes to the clients' bank details which were in fact switched to either his account number or people he knew.
He got the clients' payments started and, through a total of 33 separate transactions, took $61,400.53. McIntyre said he had done it to fund a gambling addiction. He had the support of his mother and partner.
Judge Butler noted the young man had no previous convictions and was only at a low risk of reoffending. He discounted his sentence to take into account McIntyre's early guilty plea and the impact of his addiction.
Judge Butler ordered McIntyre to serve six months of home detention, to pay reparation at $25 per week, and to attend counselling.
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- Article originally on stuff.co.nz.
