Jailed lawyer lodges appeal

Disgraced lawyer John David Rangitauira. Photo / Ben Fraser

Senior Rotorua lawyer John David Rangitauira is to appeal against his convictions and prison sentence.

Rangitauira was sentenced to four-and-a-half years in jail when he appeared in the Auckland District Court last month.

He was found guilty in November of four charges of obtaining by deception after a trial in the Rotorua District Court.

The Court of Appeal confirmed Rangitauira has lodged an appeal against the convictions and sentence but no date has yet been set for the hearing.

Rangitauira was duped after agreeing to help a client who got an email purporting to be from a "Central Bank" about a massive inheritance. She promised Rangitauira, who was a senior partner at a Rotorua firm, about $6 million if he helped her secure the cash.

When scammers demanded money to clear the inheritance, Rangitauira borrowed $506,000 from Westpac, saying he needed it to buy property overseas.

He also used $338,834 from a Maori trust he chaired and did legal work for, telling trustees he was putting it in the bank.

Rangitauira's lawyer, Jeremy Bioletti, could not be contacted for comment yesterday.

He has previously told The Daily Post Rangitauira was doing okay, although being in prison was obviously not easy for him. He was trying to get him transferred from Mt Eden Prison to Waikeria Prison.