Two Christchurch offenders have had additional prison time added to their sentences after admitting to a large-scale tax fraud targeting income tax refunds, student loan payments, and Working for Families entitlements.
Marlanna Harris was sentenced in the Auckland District Court on June 13 to a further 14 months in prison, while Richard Rapana was sentenced in the Christchurch District Court on September 12 to a further nine months in prison.
Both were already serving prison terms.
Between May 2019 and January 2022, Harris and Rapana together tried to get more than $400,000 that they were not entitled to, receiving just over $115,000.
Inland Revenue began investigating the pair in 2019 but paused the inquiry to support the Government's Covid-19 response.
Both pleaded guilty to three representative charges of dishonestly and without claim of right using a document with intent to obtain a pecuniary advantage.
Rapana's additional sentence came on top of a four-year term he was serving for burglary, Covid-19 wage subsidy fraud, and Facebook Marketplace fraud committed over a similar period.
Harris was serving a near four-year sentence on dishonesty charges.
The sentencing judge in Rapana’s case said the victims were New Zealand taxpayers and that he needed to be held accountable.
In Harris’ case, the judge cited aggravating factors including premeditation, offending while already sentenced, personal financial gain, and what was described as a “huge loss” of revenue affecting all taxpayers.
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