iscoverThe Tax Office has convicted a further four GST fraudsters under Operation Protego, pushing the total number of convictions under this operation to 130.
4 more GST fraudsters busted in Operation Protego crackdown
18 August 2025
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9 minute read
As the ATO continues its crackdown on GST fraud, a further four people have been convicted, sending an “unmistakable message that the ATO will not relent in its pursuit of those who defraud the system”.
With these additional four convictions, the ATO said it had “applied treatment” against more than 57,000 alleged offenders as part of Operation Protego.
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Those convicted of GST fraud included Bryce Nutley, Samantha Olson, Jade Parviainen and Sharni Lipscombe, all of whom were set to be imprisoned for their fraudulent behaviour.
Nutley was sentenced to 18 months' imprisonment in the Beenleigh District Court after it was found that he had dishonestly obtained a gain from the ATO, contrary to section 135.1(1) of the Criminal Code.
In a statement, the Tax Office said Nutley had received $50,000 in GST refunds and unsuccessfully claimed a further $24,000, before it was stopped by the ATO, which he did by providing his myGov login details and authentication codes to a third party, which allowed for the lodgement of false BAS on his account.
“Mr Nutley registered an ABN in February 2022, falsely stating he was operating a sole trader business offering lawn mowing or care services. Over a four-month period, a total of six false BAS were lodged in his name,” the ATO said.
“An ATO audit found no evidence of genuine business activity, records, or operational assets. Instead, funds were misused on sports betting, retail purchases, food delivery services, and transfers to family members and friends, including others who have also been sentenced for their involvement in the scheme.”
Olsen was noted to have fraudulently obtained approximately $140,000 in GST refunds and attempted to obtain a further $17,000 from the ATO contrary to sections 11.1 and 134.2 of the Criminal Code.
An audit uncovered no legitimate evidence of genuine business operations, with all of Olsen’s lodgements deemed fraudulent after she lodged 15 false BAS declaring over $1.8 million in expenses despite little to no income.
For this behaviour, Olsen was sentenced to 18 months imprisonment to be released on a recognisance after serving six months in custody before the Southport District Court.
Parviainen was sentenced to 22 months imprisonment in the Melbourne County Court after having fraudulently obtained $230,720 in GST refunds and attempting to claim an additional $49,947 century to sections 11.1 and 134.2(1) of the Criminal Code.
According to the ATO, in August 2021, Parviainen registered for an ABN and claimed to operate a dental laboratory, which she then followed by submitting nine false BAS, which were uncovered to be fraudulent following an ATO audit.
It was noted that Parviainen was released immediately under a recognisance release order, which required her to be of good behaviour for 24 months and to pay $230,720 in reparation.
Finally, Lipscombe was sentenced to three-and-a-half years’ imprisonment for fraudulently obtaining $269,393 in GST refunds contrary to section 134.2(1) of the Criminal Code.
Additionally, Lipscombe was sentenced to two years' imprisonment for attempting to obtain a further $86,331 in GST refunds contrary to section 11.1 and 134.2 of the Criminal Code, with all sentences to be served concurrently.
The ATO revealed Lipscombe was subject to a fixed non-parole period of 12 months, and reparation was ordered for $269,393.
“She had registered for an ABN in February 2015, stating she operated a beauty services or salon operation business. However, between October 2021 and May 2022, she submitted 17 BAS, falsely declaring her business had made over $4.4 million in purchases and over $440,000 in sales.”
“An audit conducted by the ATO revealed that Ms Lipscombe was not operating a business, and the amounts reported on the BAS were false. Ms Lipscombe’s only source of income was government pensions and allowances. Ms Lipscombe pleaded guilty to all charges.”
John Ford, ATO deputy commissioner and serious financial crime taskforce chief, said Operation Protego was focused on protecting the integrity of GST and the four additional convictions highlighted the ATO’s commitment to bring criminal consequences.
“While prosecutions may take time, the ATO is consistently pursuing a broad spectrum of compliance actions against those involved,” he said.
“Every avenue is being leveraged to ensure individuals involved in this fraud face real and lasting consequences.”
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