Auckland Woman Benefit Fraud Claim For False Dental Tretament
A woman from Auckland claimed thousands of dollars from the Ministry of Social Development after submitting claims for work carried out by a fake dentist.
Leanne Mita, from South Auckland, submitted forms to claim for dental work from a fake dentist; her friends were also involved in the scam. In total, the 43 year old and her friends fraudulently claimed more than $9,000.
In court, it was revealed that Mita had applied for unemployment benefit in the summer of 2012 and shortly after, she made a claim for dental work, which was due to be carried out by a dentist who she knew was not real. She received $300 and after seeing how easily she could con the system, she spread the word among friends and repeated her actions.
In court, Mita said that she was aware that what she was doing was wrong, but she needed the money to visit her parents, who live in Hamilton. Her lawyer, Glen Practice, said that she had made a “frank confession” and was apologetic for her behaviour; she has also vowed to pay the money back once she has completed her sentence and is able to return to her job as a carer.
Prosecutor for the Ministry of Social Development, Carolyn Rameil, urged Judge Denise Clark to be strict with her sentence in light of the fact that Mita had clearly abused the system, was aware of what she was doing and had encouraged others to do the same.
Mita was sentenced to 200 hours of community service and ordered to pay the money back.
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