The accused was found guilty of fraud over $5,000, false pretences, and possession of property obtained by crime after depositing over $141,000 in fraudulent cheques into a commercial bank account.
The court found the accused acted with wilful blindness and dissipated the funds rapidly.
After weighing mitigating factors, including the accused's lack of a prior record, against aggravating factors such as the sophistication of the scheme and the amount of loss, the court sentenced the accused to 15 months' imprisonment, followed by two years of probation, and issued a DNA order.
