An Otago businessman swindled nearly $30,000 from the government by inventing wages to claim subsidies during Covid-19.
Tony Peter Haines, 33, appeared in the Dunedin District Court yesterday after earlier admitting three charges of dishonestly using a document.
The charges represented several false applications between April 2020 and September 2021.
The court heard that the defendant previously ran trucking business Clutha Carrying Company Ltd and had multiple employees.
He claimed wage subsidies offered by the government during the Covid-19 pandemic.
As well as making legitimate applications, Haines claimed multiple employees had been working when they had not, and claimed cash back for their imaginary wages.
He also claimed full-time wages payments for a part-time employee and continued to receive subsidies for staff after they had left the company.
A total of $29,196 was swindled through the defendant’s false applications.
At times, Haines suggested his mother was the director of the company, rather than him.
Yesterday, counsel John Westgate said his client posed a low risk of reoffending and had paid back the money he took.
“You’re not going to see him back here again,” the lawyer said.
Haines was now self-employed as a truck driver and crane operator, the court heard.
Judge Hermann Retzlaff agreed it was unlikely the defendant would reoffend, noting he had no prior convictions, but said the theft was serious.
“This was taxpayer money, and it was for supporting the community, and it’s been taken advantage of,” the judge said.
While Mr Westgate argued for a sentence of community detention and community work, Judge Retzlaff ruled that was “too lenient”.
He sentenced Haines to seven months’ home detention.