Former Employee Charged Over Alleged $40,000 Fraud

BY MADELAINE MCNEILL

A man will face court next month accused of defrauding a Broadmeadow business of almost $40,000.

Last month, detectives began investigating a number of alleged fraudulent transactions conducted at a Lang Street business over the 12 month period from September 2018 to September 2019.

 A 48-year-old man presented to Newcastle Police Station on Wednesday following extensive inquiries.

The former employee of the business is accused of fraudulently obtaining just over $38, 620.

The man has been charged with stealing more than $15,000 as a clerk or servant and dishonestly obtaining property by deception. 

He was granted conditional bail to face Newcastle Local Court on November 28.

Alleged Fraudster to Face Court Over $288,000 Dollar Deception

BY MADELAINE MCNEILL

A Woodberry woman will face court next month accused of defrauding a local business of more than $250,000 dollars.

Investigations began in March into alleged fraudulent transactions at a Thornton business between June 2012 and May 2018.

It's alleged the 45-year-old transferred a $288,812 dollars from the business account to a number of personal bank accounts.

The woman was arrested at Raymond Terrace Police Station on Thursday and has been charged with 25 counts of obtaining financial advantage by deception.

The alleged fraudster has been granted strict conditional bail to face Maitland Local Court on Friday, October 11.

Police Smash Lake Macquarie Stolen Credit Card Ring

BY IAN CROUCH

Police have arrested three people including a 16-year-old boy over a stolen credit card ring operating in Lake Macquarie.

Officers from the Lake Macquarie Target Action Group searched a home on Ida Street, Charlestown yesterday and allegedly uncovered a large amount of stolen property, including credit cards, identification papers, cannabis seeds and methamphetamine.

A 23-year-old man is due to face Newcastle Local Court today charged with breach of bail.

A 25-year-old man from the Ida Street address is due to appear in Belmont Local Court in May charged with larceny and four counts of goods in custody.

And, a 16-year-old boy, also from the Ida Street address, will be dealt with under the Young Offenders Act in relation to receiving and fraud offences.

The arrests follow a major investigation into thefts from vehicles and the fraudulent use of stolen credit cards in the Lake Macquarie area.

Former Newcastle Woman on $233M Fraud Charges

BY TANYA DU PREEZ

A former Newcastle woman is facing over 35 years in a United States jail after she was accused of being involved in an insurance fraud of up to $233 million, one of the largest in Californian history.

Ms Kirsten Wallace, who was chief financial officer of the Community Recovery company which ran about 20 rehabilitation centres, is alleged to have been involved in "an elaborate conspiracy" to defraud patients and insurers.

Prosecutors alleged she stole patient identities, bought health insurance policies for patients without their knowledge and continued to bill insurance companies for treatment after the services were completed.

Ms Wallace lived in Newcastle for seven years, living in Carrington and Mayfield before moving to the US about 10 years ago with her young daughter.

Kirsten Wallace allegedly committed a $233 million insurance fraud (Source: New York Daily News)

Woman To Front Court Over $10,000 Spending Spree

BY IAN CROUCH

 A woman's been charged with stealing a wallet from a Lake Macquarie sporting complex and going on a spending spree.

A 63-year-old volunteer last week noticed her wallet was missing but didn't cancel her credit card for two days - by then, more than $10,000 worth of purchases had been racked up around Newcastle and Lake Macquarie.

Officers from the Lake Macquarie Target Action Group caught up with the 25-year-old alleged culprit at her home on Nooroo Close, Windale yesterday.

She was taken to Belmont Police Station and charged with 30 counts of fraud, receiving stolen goods, posessing a prohibited drug and breach of bail.

She's been refused bail and is due to appear in Toronto Local Court today.