A man who used a “forged” driver's licence and 24 identities to obtain Covid-19 wage subsidy payments has been jailed for more than two years.
The 29-year-old Auckland man, Casey John Burt Smith, made 43 applications for wage subsidy and leave support payments between April 2020 and April 2022, the Ministry of Social Development says.
Exclusive: Number of alleged wage subsidy fraudsters revealed
Five of these applications were successful and worth a total of $26,946.80.
An MSD spokesperson said Smith used his name and two other people's identities during his offending. Some payments were made to Smith's accounts using a stolen driver's licence.
“Smith doctored the driver's licence to include his own photo,” an MSD spokesperson said.
This licence was stolen alongside a wallet.
He also made 38 unsuccessful applications using his own and other identities — which would have been worth $207,515.20 if approved.
At Smith’s sentencing, Judge Mina Wharepouri said: “The premeditation, planning, high breach of trust, and the sum of funds obtained and applied for were all aggravating factors in his offending”.
The sentencing comes after he pleaded guilty to two charges of using forged documents and three charges of dishonestly taking or using documents.
He was sentenced to 27 months and 2 weeks in prison and was ordered to pay $2000 reparation to be distributed to his victims.
His prosecution comes as part of a "substantial ongoing working programme) by MSD "aimed at making sure those who received wage subsidy payments were entitled to them".
So far, 39 people have appeared in court for wage subsidy misuse as part of the work.
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