A convicted internet fraudster who appeared in Napier District Court yesterday for sentence found himself also facing charges of benefit fraud.
According to the Ministry of Social Development, Shannon Gregory Fowler (also known as Laxton-Fowler), 24, claimed benefits he wasn't entitled to, and claimed the account into which they werebeing banked was closed, and he hadn't been getting the money. The alleged fraud ended with the claim two days before last Christmas, and yesterday he pleaded pleaded guilty to a charge of making a false statement, three of dishonestly using transition-to-work forms and one of obtaining benefits while neglecting to reveal he was working at a Havelock North bar.
He was already appearing for sentence on 14 charges of obtaining cash by deception, relating to online sales of non-existent IRB Sevens tickets and i-Phones, between January and May this year.
Sentence had been deferred earlier this month to enable family cheques totalling $6680 for reparation to be cleared, before Judge Geoff Rea decided whether sentence would involve home detention, or jail. The cheques were honoured, but yesterday it was revealed almost $2000 more was being paid to repay Work and Income debt.
Fined $300 and ordered to pay reparation of more than $200 in February after another online scam, Fowler was yesterday sentenced to four months' home detention and 250 hours community work.
