Financial Crimes Squad detectives, acting on information from the National Indigenous Australians Agency, have charged a 53-year-old man as part of an investigation into suspected fraudulent conduct targeting the remote Warmun Community.
It will be alleged the accused man approached the Warmun Community Council in 2013 and offered to replace a burnt building and build additional housing for staff. It will be further alleged the man advised the Council they would need to pay the funds upfront into a Trust Account and that the then Department of Housing would reimburse them the amount they paid for the works.
The accused man did not have the authority to act on behalf of the then Department of Housing, nor did he submit any proposals or claims direct to the agency. The man had previously been engaged by the agency to work on infrastructure works in the region, including in the Warmun Community, and it is believed he used his existing relationship with the Council to negotiate the terms of the fraudulent work claims.
Between October 2013 and May 2014 the Warmun Community Council received and paid 15 invoices totalling $2,990,275. It will be alleged the bank account on the invoices was the personal bank account of the accused, and not a Trust Account, and that he used the money for personal purchases and for gambling. The funds were not used to make payment for any of the promised building works.
The matter was initially investigated by the National Indigenous Australians Agency, who provided their findings to WA Police Force for further assessment. Yesterday, Monday 14 December 2020, detectives from the Financial Crimes Squad executed a search warrant at a residence in College Court, Karrinyup, where a 53-year-old man was arrested.
The 53-year-old Karrinyup man has been charged with 15 counts of 'Gains Benefit by Fraud'. He was refused bail and is due to appear in the Perth Magistrates Court today, Tuesday 15 December 2020.
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