Australia, June 7 -- New South Wales Land and Environment Court issued text of the following judgement on May 6:

1. Between 25 February 2019 and 25 February 2020, in relation to eight separate National Disability Insurance Scheme ("NDIS") participants, the Offender submitted a total of 50 false payment requests to the National Disability Insurance Agency ("NDIA") deliberately claiming payment for services knowing they were never provided.

2. The total value of the false invoices and thus the total benefit the Offender dishonestly intended to obtain was $214,973.93.

3. The false claims were able to be submitted by the Offender because of her control of two companies, which she had registered as NDIS providers with the NDIA.

4. Seven of the NDIS participants had engaged the Offender through one of those companies as a provider for particular services approved on their NDIS plans. The eighth participant had no connection or relationship at all with the Offender or any company under her control.

5. The total lost to the Commonwealth until today that would have otherwise been available for the benefit of participants in the NDIS scheme was disputed. It is said by the Crown to be $53,011.68 and was, until this morning, accepted by the Offender to be about $30,000. This morning the Offender has accepted the amount is $53,011.68 in that she has consented to a reparation order in that amount. I shall proceed on that basis. Although, I do not consider the difference between $30,000 and $53,000 to make any difference to the ultimate sentence. This morning, the Offender paid an amount of $26,000 in part payment of reparation, which sum has been raised by the Offender's family.

6. The Offender was apprehended and charged with offences under the Criminal Code Act 1995 (Cth). She was arrested on 9 April 2024 and spent 5 days in custody, before being released on bail. She pleaded not guilty and was committed for trial in the Downing Centre Local Court on 8 November 2022.

7. On 24 October 2024, the indictment having been amended, the Offender entered pleas of guilty to two counts.

8. The Offender, who has an otherwise unblemished criminal history and a moderately strong subjective case, now comes before me for sentencing in relation to those two counts, which, on any view of the agreed facts, are objectively serious.

*Rest of the document can be viewed at: (https://www.caselaw.nsw.gov.au/decision/196a354364c5d0589c06c6d5)

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