Criminals who exploit the NDIS and people with a disability are being caught and prosecuted through the work of the Australian Government's Fraud Fusion Taskforce.
A former Victorian NDIS provider has been jailed after exploiting people with a disability from non-English speaking backgrounds to defraud the Scheme.
Mumthaj Begam Kantara, also known as Begam Kantara, was sentenced today to 3 years imprisonment in the Melbourne County Court and was ordered to pay $296,000 to the Commonwealth in full restitution.
She is to be released after 14 months on a good behaviour bond.
The 60-year-old pleaded guilty to 14 counts of issuing fraudulent payment requests against the plans of six NDIS participants between 2019 and 2022.
Investigators found Kantara targeted vulnerable participants from Melbourne's Turkish and Arabic-speaking communities who spoke little to no English.
The NDIA, supported by Fraud Fusion Taskforce partner the Australian Federal Police, raided Kantara's home and office in November 2023.
The Agency also worked with the NDIS Quality and Safeguards Commission, which issued lifetime banning orders against Kantara and her two businesses.
The NDIA moved quickly to safeguard affected participants, ensuring their plans were restored and they could continue to access the supports they rely on.
Today's case was the 24th successful conviction for crimes committed against the NDIS since the Government established the multi-agency Fraud Fusion Taskforce.
The rate of successful criminal prosecutions has doubled and search warrant activity - which often leads to charges being laid - has increased tenfold.
Since 2022, the Government has invested substantially to build the NDIA's capacity to detect, stop and respond to non-compliance and fraud, including:
- $345.3 million to establish the Crack Down on Fraud program
- $152.8 million to create the Fraud Fusion Taskforce
- $56 million to fund the NDIA's payment integrity review workforce.
The Fraud Fusion Taskforce's 24 member agencies working together to dramatically increase actions against criminals abusing the NDIS and other government payment programs.
The Taskforce has 660 investigations underway and has referred 59 people to court.
Since the start of the Taskforce more than 2,500 providers who have either submitted incorrect or non-compliant claims to the NDIS or had other significant risk indicators have been disrupted.
The NDIS Quality and Safeguards Commission has banned almost 200 individuals and providers from the NDIS as a result of Fraud Fusion Taskforce operations.
Implemented NDIS integrity interventions have delivered $3.1 billion in benefits between November 2022 and June 2029.
These benefits include over $880 million in savings to the NDIS due to prevented non-compliant payments and $2.2 billion in payments diverted from problematic providers into higher quality spending on genuine disability supports and services.
Anyone with information about suspected fraud involving the NDIS should contact the NDIS fraud reporting and scams helpline on 1800 650 717. An interpreter service is available (13 14 50) as well as an online NDIS Fraud reporting form.
The individual was prosecuted by the Commonwealth Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions following a referral from the NDIA.
Quotes attributable to Senator Jenny McAllister, Minister for the NDIS:
"If you exploit people with a disability and try to defraud vulnerable people who speak English as a second language, you do not belong in the NDIS. You belong in prison."
"We established the Fraud Fusion Taskforce to stamp out this type of criminal behaviour."
"We're disrupting and removing dodgy providers from the NDIS because Australians with disability and taxpayers deserve better."
"Warrant activity is up tenfold, more and more matters are being referred to the courts and successful prosecutions have doubled."
"If you steal from people with a disability and from the scheme designed to help them, then we will throw the book at you."
