Financial Crimes Squad detectives have charged a woman in relation to the stealing of more than $750,000 from two businesses who had contracted her services between 2004 and 2018.
The charged woman provided bookkeeping services in the South West region, under a business name.
Victim One
The woman provided bookkeeping services to a business client between 2004 and 2018. It will be alleged during the time her services were contracted, the woman used her position and access to the business's accounts to steal a total of $680,891.00 from the business.
Victim Two
The woman provided bookkeeping services to a business client between 2008 and 2018. It will be alleged during the time her services were contracted, the woman used her position and access to the business's accounts to steal a total of $85,535 from the business.
Between the two clients, it is alleged the woman stole a total of $766,426.00 using several tactics to conceal her offending, including falsely recording transactions as a payment to the owner, falsely inflating the amount of an invoice and paying the inflated amount to herself, and paying herself numerous times during a weekly pay cycle.
On Thursday 1 September 2022, detectives from the Financial Crimes Squad executed a search warrant at a residence in South Bunbury. A 53-year-old South Bunbury woman was arrested and has since been charged with 18 counts of 'Stealing as a Servant'. She is due to appear in the Bunbury Magistrates Court today, Monday 19 September 2022.
Detective Sergeant Jamie HUTCHESON from the Financial Crimes Squad said in both cases the businesses involved were put under additional financial pressure as a result of the alleged offending.
"During the time the funds were being stolen the business owners were unable to work out why they were under such financial pressure. It wasn't until independent audits of their finances were conducted after the accused had moved interstate in 2018 that the fraudulent transactions were identified.
"One business owner had found themselves working additional hours over several years to keep their business afloat, while the other was forced to identify new lines of credit. This created unnecessary stress and has resulted in them both being left with a significant gap that may take years to recover from."
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