Gourmet foodie guilty of role in sophisticated tax scam
A Queensland woman who created a successful gourmet gluten-free food company has pleaded guilty to being part of a multimillion-dollar tax scam.
The woman, drawn into being part of a āstaggeringly sophisticatedā multimillion-dollar tax scam to pay for a friendās luxury mansion, escaped jail despite knowing what she was doing was wrong, a court has heard.
Melinda Jane Trembath, 45, creator of food company Melindaās Gluten Free Goodies, apparently believed she was joining the lifelong family friend in researching cancer.
Instead, the mother of three became a vital cog in a $3.6 million bid to defraud the Australian Taxation Office through a fake research and development tax offset claim.
The family friend, who has been charged but is yet to face court, was described as the main instigator of the elaborate scam. She had lost her mother to cancer after she had previously taken part in clinical cancer research trials.
The woman allegedly created two biotechnology companies, appointing Trembath to be a director.
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In 2017, the companies lodged a tax offset claim of $3.6 million. When the ATO queried the claim, Trembath used her extensive business experience to forge a paper trail to justify the dodgy return.
The court was told Trembath created fake invoices and bank statements and was charged with four counts, including forging documents and attempting to influence a Commonwealth public official.
Trembath pleaded guilty to all four charges in the Brisbane District Court on Monday.
āHer role was by no means minor,ā the prosecution told the court.
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āShe agreed to be the director of two companies. She took active steps using her business skills to forge documents to perpetuate this fraud.ā
While the family friend allegedly devised the scheme, Trembath actively took steps to disguise the attempted fraud, the court was told.
āIt was an act toĀ defraud the Commonwealth and ultimately the taxpayer of over 3.6 million.ā
Defence barrister Daniel Caruana said Trembath knew what she was doing wrong but did not deserve to go to jail.
āIt all boils down to the fact this has been a huge betrayal,ā he said.
āThere was a document found ā¦ and itās quite bizarre and shocking that instead of going toward important medical research, (the co-accused) was looking to buy a mansion for herself.
āThat was a shock to my client ā she felt terribly betrayed by someone she thought was a friend.
āIt was a staggeringly sophisticated scheme.ā
In sentencing, Judge Orazio Rinaudo said the scheme relied on Trembathās expertise in business and went along with the fraud out of a āfalse sense of loyaltyā.
āThe documents which you (Trembath) forged relied on your experience and background in business,ā he said.
āYou now realise you have been betrayed.ā
Trembath was handed a suspended sentence of 18 months, and released on $2000 recognisance and immediately released.
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