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Prison sentence for tax and other charges
Angela Freiden aka Angela Aegerter pleaded guilty to 9 charges, some of which were representative charges laid by Inland Revenue. This included charges of dishonestly using a document, charges of using a forged document (bank statements and invoices) and using an altered document to get tax and COVID-19 support money. She was sentenced in the Manukau District Court on 9 October 2026.
She was the New Zealand director of New Beta Innovations New Zealand Ltd (New Beta) and of New Alpha Innovation New Zealand Ltd (New Alpha). She was sacked following the discovery of fraud.
She was also the sole director and shareholder of three of her own companies – Vortex Pharmaceutical Consulting Ltd (Vortex PCL), Vortex-PC Holdings Ltd (Vortex PC Holdings), and Vortex Project Management Ltd (Vortex Project Management).
Freiden made false claims for the Small Business Cashflow Scheme (SBCS) and Resurgent Support Payments (RSP). Both were government schemes to help business continue through the pandemic.
She made false claims under the name of each of the companies that she was a director of and then diverted the money to her own personal accounts. She applied for $185,532.12 with $100,813.04 paid out.
Freiden used the money she received to buy two vehicles, pay rent and buy clothes and groceries.
A letter from the Hong Kong head office in June 2021 stated the company never intended to apply for the SBCS loan, asked to withdraw the application if possible and asked for bank account details if any money had been paid out.
The company subsequently advised IR to suspend all access for Freiden to the New Beta and New Alpha accounts. Her employment was terminated in July 2021.
She also made fraudulent claims for GST refunds and personal tax expenses covering 6 years. Web session records in myIR also show her changing the expense figure to increase the refund figure before resubmitting the return.
Last updated:
11 Oct 2026