Fraudster hit with prison term
MORE Ipswich flood cheats are being caught out, with one man being sent to prison this week and another woman pleading guilty to ripping off more than $5000 from the community.
Tuputala Ropati, 34, made six separate fake claims for the flood relief money, notching up $5100 she wasn't entitled to.
Ipswich Magistrates Court heard Ropati would claim up to $850 at a time, and made the dodgy claims on January 17, 18, 19, 20, 22 and 28 last year.
Magistrate Donna MacCallum said she couldn't accept Ropati "didn't know" the payments were a one-off.
"That explanation doesn't ring true and has an air of dishonesty about it," Ms MacCallum said.
Ropati has a strong Christian faith and support from her church in Goodna, but Ms MacCallum said her actions were a "clear breach of your belief in the teachings of God".
"What you did, when people were in dire need during a natural disaster, was a clear breach of your Christian faith," she told Ropati.
"It is stealing from the community."
Ms MacCallum said if Ropati's offences weren't discovered by police, she most likely never would have paid the money back.
Ropati, who has no criminal history, pleaded guilty to six counts of fraud and was sentenced to six months prison which was suspended for 12 months.
She was also fined $300 for driving an unregistered and uninsured car, and was ordered to pay $5100 restitution to the Queensland Government.
In another case, Tony Arthur Keasey, 51, claimed more than $1500 he wasn't entitled to and will spend a month behind bars for the fraud.
On February 1 and February 3 he claimed payments at Goodna and the Ipswich Showgrounds of $1530 by lying about having a partner and children to support.
The court heard Keasey had 68 prior convictions for fraud on his three-page criminal history.
He pleaded guilty to two counts of fraud and was sentenced to four months prison, to be suspended after one month for an operational period of three years, and was also ordered to pay restitution to the Queensland Government.
