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Forged documents catch out tax fraudster
Simon David Price Hughes used the forged invoices to claim nearly $243k in GST refunds which his company, Reaper Performance Motorcycles, was not entitled to.
He was sentenced in the Wellington District Court today and ordered to pay in reparations at $200 per week.
Hughes told IR he needed the money to pay for his daughter to attend an overseas dance competition. He also claimed he’s spent $45k on her dance tutor.
Between November 2018 and March 2019 his company exported a number of motorcycles to Thailand which correctly resulted in GST refunds.
After May 2019 the sale of Harley Davidson’s stalled but Hughes continued to file GST returns as though the business was still buying and selling them.
In the period June 2019 to November 2020, Hughes filed 17 GST returns for his motorcycle resale company and provided invoices and other sales documents to justify the GST refund.
At least 20 of the invoices were forged documents representing expenses the company didn’t incur. A further seven of the documents was not part of the company’s taxable activity, such as Hughes personal expenditure.
Last updated:
06 Sep 2022