Auckland woman sentenced on numerous tax fraud charges

An Auckland woman has been jailed for two years on numerous tax fraud charges.

Caitlin Briar Ashby appeared in the Manukau District Court on August 14, where she faced 18 charges of using documents with intent to obtain a pecuniary advantage from income tax returns, GST returns and applications to two Covid-19 support schemes.

She had previously admitted the charges.

Ashby had set up three bank accounts using false identities and filed 64 false income tax returns for 14 different taxpayers.

She also made two false GST returns, two false Small Business Cashflow scheme loan (SBCS) applications - of which one was paid out while the other was declined - and one false Resurgence Support Payment (RSP) application.

Between May and August of 2019, Ashby had the bank account details changed for 19 taxpayers, so income tax refunds for those people would be paid into accounts she controlled.

Between July and August 2019, she applied for 61 tax refunds for 14 people for whom she had updated details. The money was paid into bank accounts she had control of.

Ashby also tried to get two GST returns paid into her accounts, but it was not.

Nearly $37,000 was deposited into bank accounts under Ashby's control from the Covid-19 relief schemes.

Inland Revenue said Ashby attempted to obtain a total of $222,822.44 from the department and successfully received $36,629.64.

She was sentenced to two years in prison for her fraudulent behaviour. She was given leave to apply for home detention if she could find a suitable address to live.

No reparation was ordered, and six months' special and standard release conditions were included in her sentence.