Man knew $28,000 wage subsidy payments were not his
24 January 2025.
A man who received more than $28,000 of COVID-19 Wage Subsidy payments he was not entitled to has been sentenced to 10 months home detention.
A man who received more than $28,000 of COVID-19 Wage Subsidy payments he was not entitled to has been sentenced to 10 months home detention.
Alec Karetai Terry Paul was sentenced in Auckland District Court on 21 January having earlier pleaded guilty to a representative charge of receiving.
Four deposits of $7,029.60 each were made into Paul’s bank account in April 2020.
The deposits were the result of applications which he knew to be false, and which were made under four different names.
After receiving the payments Paul made withdrawals of $18,830 and spent $4,878.12 online.
Judge Nevin Dawson sentenced Mr Paul to 10 months home detention and ordered full reparations of $28,118.40.
A total of 30 people have been sentenced in wage subsidy cases, and another 58 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 $827.5 million* in wage subsidies has been repaid. For more information please see here.
*Figures at 18 December
