Auckland Chinese Restaurant Owner Jailed For Fraud After Evading $800k Tax
August 19, 2016 | Fraud
The owner of an Auckland Chinese restaurant serving sharkfin dishes has been sentenced to jail for evading nearly $800,000 in tax.
Restaurateur Zai Jian Liang, who runs Tasty Zone Restaurant in East Tamaki, filed 113 incorrect tax returns between 2009 and last year.
An Inland Revenue investigation found Liang and his wife Guan Hong Liang failed to declare more than $1 million in cash sales and about $500,000 in PAYE.
The couple also fraudulently claimed $30,000 in Working for Families tax credits.
For evading $787,996 in tax, Liang…
Man Victimized In Online Romance Stole $1.4M From Employer
August 19, 2016 | Fraud
A man federal prosecutors say was victimized in an overseas, online romance scam has pleaded guilty to wire fraud for stealing more than $1.4 million from two Pittsburgh-area companies whose funds he controlled.
Jeffery Plimpton, 59, acknowledged using more than $13,000 of the money he stole to pay his mortgage, and nearly $69,000 to pay credit card bills. But most of the money "nearly $1.39 million" was sent overseas "at the direction of a woman with whom he had an online relationship," Assistant U.S. Attorney Shardul Desai told a ju…
Kiwi Hip-Hop Dancer, Husband In Court Over TAB Fraud
August 18, 2016 | Fraud
A Kiwi husband and wife were in court in Sydney on Wednesday, charged with fraud for cashing in winning TAB tickets that were unclaimed.
The man works for Tabcorp, and is accused of accessing restricted information.
Police allege they pulled off their scam more than 30 times, collecting AU$650,000.
This was the first time Talanoa and Trevor Raine faced court since their arrest for fraud.
Dance teacher Talanoa is charged with cashing the claims, supplied by her husband. The couple is accused of making claims on 31 different occasion…
Ngatata Love Fraud Trial Kicks Off
August 3, 2016 | Fraud
Maori leader Ngatata Love appeared in the High Court in Wellington today accused of obtaining a secret commission and can be named for the first time after a three-year name suppression order was lifted.
Love, who was made a Principal Companion of the New Zealand Order of Merit for his services to Maori in 2008, is charged with obtaining a secret commission and that he obtained significant sums by deception. The Crown says he signed an agreement in late 2006 with a property developer to ensure it could lease land owned by the Wellingt…
Victims Try To Sting Convicted Fraudster With Facebook Campaign
July 16, 2016 | Fraud
A convicted fraudster has become the target of a campaign by former victims to make his offending and past tactics widely known.
Craig Anthony Lowe, 36, has more than 70 convictions for fraud, theft and taking pecuniary advantage over the last 12 years.
He was sentenced to two years imprisonment in 2009 for obtaining $30,000 using fraud and was recently released from a six month prison sentence for his latest offending.
A woman caught in that offending, who wanted to remain anonymous, said Lowe emptied her bank account and stole her…
Canterbury Mum Goes To Jail For $186,000 Fraud
July 14, 2016 | Fraud
A South Canterbury woman stole $186,000 from her boss - and took some of it as he watched obliviously.
Kenisha Lee Puhirere was sentenced to 22 months' imprisonment at Timaru District Court on Tuesday for using company cards to steal money she spent on her family.
The court heard her employer, Grant Kinsman, sometimes greeted her as she bought groceries at supermarkets, not knowing she was buying food using money from his business.
Speaking after Puhirere's sentencing, Kinsman said the fraud had been "gut-wrenching" and had exacerb…
Teen Computer Fraudster Jake Hall Jailed For 3 Years, 4 Months
July 5, 2016 | Fraud
A prolific teen fraudster who defrauded dozens of bank customers of more than $260,000 has been sent to jail for three years and four months.
Police attention was drawn to Gisborne 18-year-old Jake Hall in May last year after a customer noticed $15,808.36 had been transferred from his Westpac account into seven other Westpac accounts.
Hall had found the 'mule' bank account details after telling a friend he needed to find someone with a Westpac bank account so he could access money he was to receive by electronic banking. The friend …
Christchurch Carer Admits Stealing $110,000 From Disabled Woman
July 4, 2016 | Fraud
A Christchurch woman with power of attorney over an intellectually disabled woman has today admitted stealing more than $110,000 over six years to fund her pokies gambling habit.
The 66-year-old problem gambler, who has interim name suppression, had enduring power of attorney over the woman from 1997 to February last year, Christchurch District Court heard.
But between May 2009 and February 18 last year, she made 450 fraudulent transactions from the victim's bank accounts, the police summary of facts says.
The majority of the transac…
Lawyers Warned To Take Extreme Care To Prevent Email Fraud
July 1, 2016 | Fraud
Sophisticated attempts to defraud New Zealand lawyers are now common and the New Zealand Law Society is warning all lawyers to be very careful when receiving any emailed instructions or directions.
A number of New Zealand firms have been victims of "spoofing" emails where a member of the firm appears to instruct another member to transfer money.
The fraud uses an email with a forged sender address, making the message appear to be genuine. The amounts asked for are often relatively small, thus potentially avoiding scrutiny.
Another va…
Fraudster Stole $730,000, Blew It On Holidays, Cars & Casinos
June 28, 2016 | Fraud
A former Wanaka Lakes Health Centre manager convicted of stealing $730,000 had similar previous offending, Judge Christina Cook said yesterday.
Judge Cook, in the Queenstown District Court, said the charges against Richard Gregory Beven, 41, were "extremely serious" and Beven had similar offending stemming from 2005.
Beven, according to the 2005 Serious Fraud Office annual report, had worked for a motorvehicle finance company and used settlement authorities for fictitious or historical purchases and paid about $1 million into his own…