An Auckland man who ripped off business partners, friends, family and his doctor for $2 million, has been jailed for six years.
Sanjay Kumar Joshi, 33, heard three years of lies, involving more than 20 victims, unravel in the High Court at Auckland this morning.
The court heard how Joshi had a privileged upbringing, attending the prestigious Kings College.
After studying marketing and accounting at Auckland University he scored a job as general manager at a major vehicle parts company, but he left in 2010 to start his own business.
A year later and Joshi began using his knowledge of the automotive industry to begin a wide-ranging series of frauds against anyone close to him.
His business partner Aaron Young was worst hit, losing out on nearly $1m.
Joshi persuaded him he could get hold of cheap high-end cars from Japan and Young gave him $662,000 to buy 21 vehicles and a yacht.
Only two cars were ever delivered and Mr Young had to pay extra to secure loans to keep them.
In 2012, Joshi also managed to dupe his doctor - who was granted interim name suppression - out of $477,000.
He told the man the money would cover four luxury cars but he quickly ran out of excuses when there was nothing to show for the cash.
Eventually he persuaded two car dealers to let him borrow a couple of vehicles that "fit the description" and he removed the batteries and number plates before showing them to the doctor.
Joshi lied that they could not be handed over because of the missing parts and when the victim left he returned the cars to the dealers.
The doctor only got back $20,000 of his original stake, and no luxury vehicles.
"You even stole from your mother", Justice Murray Gilbert said.
Joshi swindled $9000 from her credit card and later falsified his parents' signatures to obtain funds from a finance company.
During sentencing today Justice Gilbert asked what the defendant had done with all the money.
"I have no instructions on that," defence counsel Peter Kaye said.
Joshi was adjudicated bankrupt in February last year and the judge accordingly opted not to order reparation.
Justice Gilbert said the offending "involved a considerable level of planning and premeditation" and the 33-year-old felt no sympathy for his victims.
"There's no genuine remorse here," he said.
"You wrote a letter to probation minimising your involvement and culpability."
One of the victims spoke outside court about how his dealings with Joshi cost him his business and his relationship.
He described the defendant as "a very clever guy" who loved to be seen as a man about town, and he was sceptical about whether a few years in prison would change his ways.