Benefit cheats in Bay stole almost $170,000

It was like watching a production line as one by one seven Western Bay residents took their turn in the dock and admitted benefit fraud - the seven collectively having stolen almost $170,000 in benefits.

First in Tauranga District Court yesterday, Tania Marie Pirere, 41, of Paengaroa, pleaded guilty to one charge of obtains by deception and eight of dishonestly using a document for pecuniary advantage.

She stole $27,127 through the domestic purpose benefit, sickness benefit and supplementary benefits between December 2008 and October 2010.

Pirere falsely claimed she was a solo parent but was living with her partner. From January 26 last year she also claimed $185 a week in rental costs when she was not paying rent or board. In 2007 she was imprisoned for a month for benefit fraud. Pirere will be sentenced on October 10.

Jodie Anne Harnett, 27, of Gate Pa, was sentenced to 240 hours' community work after she admitted stealing $6553 between May 2009 and August 2010.

She was claiming a domestic purposes benefit and accommodation supplement while living with her partner.

Harnett, a first-time offender, who pleaded guilty to one charge each of making a false statement to obtain a benefit and using a document for pecuniary advantage, had already started paying back the debt at $30 a week before her court appearance.

Kirsty Bricknell, 35, of Papamoa, pleaded guilty to two charges of obtaining by deception and one of dishonestly using a document for pecuniary advantage. She claimed $52,205 in domestic purposes and accommodation benefits between April 2006 and March 2008 and September 2009 and August 2010 while living with her partner.

She also lied about her true situation on benefit review forms.

Bricknell, who has started paying back the debt at $15 a week, will be sentenced on October 10.

Avenues sickness beneficiary Esther Te Kimioranga Awa, 49, pleaded guilty to one charge of wilful omission and dishonestly using a document. Awa failed to inform the ministry that she had started work and lied on her disability allowance application form. Awa, who has a prior conviction for benefit fraud, was overpaid $21,086 between November 3, 2008 and February 6 this year and was caught doing so after a data matching exercise with IRD. She will be sentenced on October 10.

Invalids beneficiary John Hunuhunu, 45, of Welcome Bay pleaded guilty to a charge of misleading a social welfare officer. He was overpaid $8379 between October 2006 and September 2010 after failing to inform the ministry he was working part-time. Hunuhunu has a previous conviction from 2004 and will be sentenced on October 11.

Mount Maunganui man Alexander Edward Paterson, 43, was fined $100 plus $132 court costs after admitting a charge of wilful omission, after failing to inform the ministry he was working while receiving an unemployment benefit. He was overpaid $5390 between August 2010 and January this year.

Judge Alayne Wills took into account that Paterson was a first-time offender and that he had already paid back a substantial amount of the reparation sought, including $1000 yesterday.

Retired Tauranga man Brian Leo Flanagan, 65, appeared for sentencing on 13 charges of making a false statement, four of dishonestly using a document and one of wilful omission.

He stole $89,646 in benefits between November 2004 and 2010.

 The ministry is seeking a sentence of imprisonment but Judge Alayne Wills adjourned sentencing until October 11 to allow Flanagan time to find an alternative address to be considered for home detention.

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