Woman ripped $1 million off the NDIS

A woman feeding her gambling habit and paying for holidays has been jailed after being convicted of ripping off the NDIS of more than $1 million.

A woman feeding her gambling habit and paying for holidays has been jailed after being convicted of ripping off the NDIS of more than $1 million.

Some of the claims made by Tamara Gai Berridge were for services she never provided.

Customers tipped off authorities of their suspicions around the activities of Berridge’s Kellyville-based business Magic Maid Possible cleaning services.

Berridge was found guilty in the NSW District Court of deliberately claiming payment for household tasks and cleaning services knowing they were never provided to NDIS participants.

The 41-year-old faces a total of three years and six months behind bars, with a non-parole period of one year and five months, after she was found guilty on two counts of 88 fraudulent payment requests valued at more than $1 million, submitted against the plans of 13 NDIS participants between 2018 and 2020.

Tamara Gai Berridge, who ran a Kellyville-based business called Magic Maid Possible, pleaded guilty to NDIS fraud-related offences.

She was also ordered to repay $442,977 to the Commonwealth.

The NDIA’s Fraud Fusion Taskforce investigated the cleaning business after receiving the tip-offs and worked with the Australian Federal Police, to execute a search warrant at Berridge’s home, seizing documents and electronic devices.

Sentencing Judge Nicole Noman SC said the pleas of guilty were entered four days prior to the commencement of the trial and do not, of itself, demonstrate contrition.

“It reflects no more than a recognition of the inevitable. ‘Repayment’ of monies in this case does not demonstrate contrition and remorse, but rather, was a methodology employed by the offender to reduce the chances of her conduct being detected,” she said.

She said the offender wrote a letter of apology in March this year saying she was “disgusted by her serious mistakes”, and she referred to her extremely poor judgement with her conduct being selfish and wrong.

However the judge said Berridge acted in a calculated manner for an extended period of time to deliberately defraud.

Rebecca Falkingham PSM commenced as CEO of the NDIA in October 2022. SUPPLIED

She said Berridge was committing fraud to fund her lifestyle and gambling.

Another Sydney woman has also been jailed after admitting claiming for services that were never provided to NDIS participants - mostly people who were from non-English speaking backgrounds - and in some cases over charging them.

Gada Abdelwahab Abbas, 48, plead guilty to two counts of fraud consisting of eight offences totalling more than $200,000, committed in 2019 and 2020.

She was jailed for three years, with a one-year non-parole period after she was found guilty of dishonestly obtaining a financial advantage from the Commonwealth and ordered to pay back $51,733.

An alert was initially triggered by NDIA staff, which led to the investigation of suspected fraudulent practices at two western Sydney businesses run by Abbas.

During the investigation by the Fraud Fusion Taskforce Abbas left Australia for the United Arab Emirates. She was arrested and charged upon re-entering the country in 2022.

Sentencing judge Judge Robert Newlinds SC said took into account Abbas had no criminal convictions and the offending, while systematic over a period of a year, does appear to have been generally out of character and, at least in part, the product of her mental health issues.

NDIS officers and Australian The NDIS Fraud Fusion Taskforce raided properties in western Sydney in 2022 over a Middle Eastern organised crime and posing as disability support providers. This week one of the key players was sentenced to 10 months’ jail for dealing with proceeds of crime relating to a fraud involving $69,000. Picture: Supplied by AFP

“Notwithstanding the lack of any significant contrition, remorse, or insight, I consider her prospects of rehabilitation and not offending again to be reasonably good to the point where I think it is unlikely that she will reoffend.”

Nonetheless he said the offending was “deliberate, sustained, planned, and ultimately, the intention, which was partially successful, was to effectively steal money” from the Commonwealth’s budget of money allocated towards the NDIS scheme for her “own benefit”.

“This was done by a cynical breach of the trust that the NDIS system had placed in the offender,” the judge said.

“I am not satisfied that the offender has shown anything more than minimal contrition, remorse, and insight.”

Judge Newlinds said for the NDIS scheme to survive, fraud, when identified, must be actively discouraged by the Courts by imposing sentences that send a “clear message that such crimes will attract significant penalties, and the risk of those penalties outweigh any perceived access to easy money”.

NDIA CEO Rebecca Falkingham told news.com.au the verdicts showed that providers who set out to exploit the Scheme and participants would be caught.

Tamara Berridge , a cleaner who has pleaded guilty of ripping off NDIS to the tune of $1 million. Picture: Linkedin

“These cases involved unscrupulous providers taking advantage of NDIS participants and claiming payments for services that they knew were never provided to them,” Ms Falkingham said.

“While most providers do the right thing, dishonest operators will be brought to account.

“The two cases reflect the Agency’s strong actions to protect the integrity of the Scheme to ensure every NDIS dollar goes towards participant outcomes.

“We have zero tolerance for fraud – and any inappropriate conduct – committed against the NDIS and its participants.

“People with disability and their families deserve to be protected from exploitation, and we are committed in ensuring those expectations are met.”

The Fraud Fusion Taskforce includes 23 agencies and has launched more than 500 investigations since 2022.

Anyone with information about suspected fraud involving the NDIS should contact the NDIS fraud reporting and scams helpline on 1800 650 717 or fill out our online NDIS Fraud reporting form.

Originally published as Woman ripped $1 million off the NDIS