Nelly Sione stole more than $8000 from Tangata Atumotu Trust. The trust serves the Pacific Island community in Christchurch with health and social services.
A woman with dozens of dishonesty convictions stole thousands of dollars from a Pacific healthcare provider, then tried to blame it on a colleague.
Nelly Sione was described as a “lifelong fraudster” when she appeared in court for sentencing on charges of altering a document, causing loss by deception, forging a document and using a forged document.
The 52-year-old stole $8153 from the Tangata Atumotu Trust after she was promoted to a team leader in business support in 2022.
The trust serves the Pacific Island community in Christchurch with health and social services.
She was issued a credit card with an authorised spend of up to $1000 per purchase, to assist with work-related expenses.
According to the summary of facts, it was common practice for staff to use each other’s credit cards if theirs were at their limit or they did not have access to them.
She used the trust’s credit cards to buy groceries for herself.
The receipts were altered electronically to show items that were accepted on the system and then sent to an external accountant for entry into trust accounts.
Over the course of 11 months, 20 transactions totalling $4690 were made to various supermarkets and shops in Christchurch using trust credit cards.
Sione also hired a minibus for personal use using the trust name and account number, but when questioned about it provided an altered invoice showing false dates.
She had driven 595km in it and sent a $903 invoice to the accountant.
Sione told the trust general manager it had been hired for vaccinations in Ashburton when, in fact, she had used it for personal use over the Christmas break in 2022, when the trust office was closed and all employees were on leave.
Sione also forged an invoice for $2560 and billed it to another employee.
The descriptions were for vinyl, cutting and peeling vinyl and bucket hats from a company that didn’t exist.
She coded it and sent it to an external accountant for payment who then paid the invoice into one of her associated accounts.
Sione was confronted in December 2023, three years after she began working for the trust.
She told senior managers and the trust’s lawyer that she accepted the allegations and had “no excuse” for her actions.
“I want the opportunity to pay it back and I apologise for what I did.”
At her recent sentencing, the Christchurch District Court heard that her actions caused great difficulties for the trust.
The police prosecutor said Sione cleverly covered her offending while shelving it on to another person.
“She would have been well aware that the money that was taken was destined to be used for disadvantaged people.
“To put the blame on an innocent person takes it into a different realm, I have never seen anything like this. A person’s entire career could have been destroyed.”
Judge Tony Couch said Sione had caused significant stress, specifically to one of her colleagues, who she tried to blame for her actions.
The court did not hear details on who the colleague was or how Sione tried to blame them.
“The trust was put to a great deal of trouble to find out that you were the sole person responsible for the loss.”
Judge Couch told Sione she had deprived needy people of help.
He said Sione had 97 convictions, some of which were for theft as a servant and forging documents.
“You are a lifelong fraudster.”
The only mitigating factor was the fact Sione’s last offence was in 2014, the judge said.
“By a very small margin, I am prepared to sentence you to home detention.”
The trust estimated it had cost them more than $40,000 to uncover Sione’s deception.
Judge Tony Couch ordered Sione to pay back $8153 in misappropriated funds and added $10,000 in reparation before sentencing her to 12 months’ home detention.
Tangata Atumotu Trust board chairwoman Tanya McCall told NZME the trust acknowledged the sentencing.
“Ms Sione was a trusted colleague and team leader who had passed standard reference checks and onboarding procedures, who went to deliberate lengths to conceal her deception.
“After our internal audit processes revealed discrepancies, Tangata Atumotu Trust acted swiftly by reporting the matter to police and initiating legal proceedings.
“Our ongoing investigations revealed further complexities and incurred over $30,000 in legal and auditing costs, which we would have preferred to invest in the wellbeing of our communities.”
McCall did not answer specific questions about what Sione had done in terms of trying to point the finger at her colleague, whether the trust was aware of her previous dishonesty convictions at any point, if concerns were raised and if there was a vetting system in place.
In response to the offending, the trust had strengthened processes, including credit card oversight and payment sign-off procedures, to ensure additional transparency and accountability.
“We are proud of our 25-year legacy of service and are grateful for the continued support of our community and funders as we move forward.”
Al Williams is an Open Justice reporter for the New Zealand Herald, based in Christchurch. He has worked in daily and community titles in New Zealand and overseas for the last 16 years. Most recently he was editor of the Hauraki-Coromandel Post, based in Whangamatā. He was previously deputy editor of the Cook Islands News.