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Iain McGregor / Stuff
A hospital employee managed to steal nearly $ 1 million from Christchurch Hospital between 2013 and 2018.
A hospital employee who stole more than $ 1 million from the Canterbury District Board of Health to fund a lavish lifestyle and a gambling addiction has been jailed for three years.
The woman spent five years diverting money to her own bank accounts, a fraud that the Christchurch District Court heard was “premeditated and sophisticated.”
The Serious Fraud Office (SFO) began investigating in 2018 after discrepancies were discovered in CDHB accounts.
The woman, who still has the provisional name deletion, was ultimately charged with conducting 475 fraudulent transactions between 2013 and 2018, worth roughly $ 1 million.
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In August of last year, he pleaded guilty to tampering with the board of health’s computerized accounts to obtain about $ 1 million. She told investigators at the Serious Fraud Office (SFO) that she spent the stolen money on online gambling, but it emerged in court Wednesday that only about 20-25 percent of the money she stole was spent. in games of chance.
The embezzled money was deposited into the woman’s two bank accounts from which she withdrew for various expenses, including: cash withdrawals, $ 25,907; Christchurch Hospital, $ 4800; The Christchurch Casino, $ 2,640; Online gambling, $ 222,831; Payments to the family, $ 41,937; Finance companies and payday loans, $ 116,181; General living expenses, $ 439,264; Expenses related to the jet ski, $ 19,861; Surgical expenses (including travel to Thailand), $ 44,185; and credit card transfers, $ 195,170.
At the indictment, Mark Zarifeh told Judge Gilbert that the crime was “premeditated and sophisticated,” and the defendant identified a blind spot in the system.
Phil Shamy said that his client had cooperated with the OFS and was very sorry. He pleaded guilty at the earliest opportunity and did not require the OFS to prove the violation line by line. He just couldn’t remember all the transactions.
He said the woman had a terrible upbringing and suffered from depression and other real mental health problems. In a sense, the offense was a form of self-medication and similar to substance abuse.
Judge Gilbert said who knew how long the crime would have continued if she had not been caught. There were no prospects for repayment, he said.
The formation of a company to receive the stolen money was an example of the sophistication of the crime. The surgery in Thailand and the gifts to the family showed an element of greed in the crime, the judge said.
