Auckland man tried to get more than $110k in dishonest covid support applications

Joshua Richard Tiaki Evans submitted 50 applications to receive wage subsidy government support he was not eligible for.

He was sentenced to 10 months home detention and reparation of $5000 for two representative charges of dishonest use of a document.

The sentencing was by Judge Kirsten Lummis in the Auckland District Court on 30 October.

He received over $25,000 across 16 successful applications which was used on personal expenses, gambling websites, and payments to family members.

Between 10 April 2020 and 10 February 2022, he submitted applications to MSD in his own name and in the name of a business, Handy Man That Can, for a range of supports that were introduced around the same period for employers and employees impacted by COVID-19.

Mr Evans applied for the Wage Subsidy Scheme which was set up to help employers and self-employed people, in addition to the Leave Support Scheme and Short-term Absence Payment Scheme which were both aimed at employees who could not work due to covid-related reasons.

IR confirmed that Mr Evans was not self-employed nor an employer during this time. Instead, Mr Evans was an MSD client who had been receiving Jobseeker Support.

An additional 34 applications, totalling over $89,000, were declined.

A total of 53 people have been sentenced in wage subsidy cases, and another 51 people are still before the courts as part of MSD’s programme of work on wage subsidy fraud and integrity.

Since the scheme started, more than $830 million* in wage subsidies has been repaid.

For more information about the Wage Subsidy Integrity and Fraud Programme please see here.  

*Figures as at 14 October