Richard Jody Rapana plead guilty to three representative charges of dishonestly and without claim of right using a document with intent to obtain a pecuniary advantage.
The charges related to fraudulently obtaining (and attempting to obtain) income tax refunds, student loan payments and Working for Families payments.
He was sentenced in the Christchurch District Court on 12 September with 9 months added to the 4-year sentence of imprisonment he was already serving for a burglary, COVID wage subsidy fraud, and Facebook Marketplace fraud committed over a similar period.
His co-accused, Marlanna Shirley Diana Harris, had an additional 14 months to the prison sentence she was already serving when she appeared in court earlier this year.
Between May 2019 and January 2022, Rapana and Harris together tried to get more than $400,000 that they were not entitled to. They actually received just over $115,000.
Inland Revenue began investigating in 2019 before placing the investigation on hold while supporting the Government’s response to Covid-19.
The judge noted the victims from the offending were all taxpayers in New Zealand and Rapana needed to be held accountable.
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Time added to prison sentence for tax fraud
A Christchurch woman, already in prison serving a near four-year term on dishonesty charges, was sentenced to an additional 14 months in prison when she appeared for sentence on 13 June in the Auckland District Court on tax charges.