iscover False invoices land director 6 years in jail
BusinessA former Queensland director has been sentenced to six years in jail after pleading guilty to fraud.
Former director of Freenet, Jonathan William Parker, of New Beith, has now been convicted after pleading to two counts of fraud.
The Beenleigh District Court has sentenced Mr Parker to six years’ imprisonment on the first count and three years’ imprisonment on the second count, to be served concurrently. The court imposed a non-parole period of 16 months’ imprisonment.
The conviction comes after ASIC received a funded report from Nick Combis, of Vincents Chartered Accountants, who was appointed the liquidator of Freenet on 19 December 2014.
ASIC then commenced an investigation, finding that between 30 September 2011 and 18 April 2012, Mr Parker dishonestly created false invoices to conceal taking $809,208.30 belonging to Freenet.
The investigation also found that on or around 23 March 2012, Mr Parker dishonestly used $140,000 belonging to an investor of Freenet.
“This is a significant outcome and should serve as a warning to corporate Australia that the community will not tolerate directors acting dishonestly to the detriment of their investors or consumers,” ASIC commissioner John Price said in the wake of the sentencing.
“There is a high risk your crime will be detected and investigated, and that you will be convicted and go to jail.”
Jotham Lian
Jotham Lian is the editor of Accountants Daily, the leading source of breaking news, analysis and insight for Australian accounting professionals.
Before joining the team in 2017, Jotham wrote for a range of national mastheads including the Sydney Morning Herald, and Channel NewsAsia.
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