Brenda Lee Dadleh convicted for the second time for fraudulently receiving government benefits

A twice-convicted fraudster has escaped jail for receiving almost $80,000 in Centrelink carer payments she wasn’t entitled to.

A twice-convicted fraudster with a “shopping addiction” has received a suspended sentence for receiving almost $80,000 in Centrelink carer payments she was not entitled to.

The District Court of South Australia heard late last week a Centrelink and tax office “data matching exercise” detected in April, 2017 that Brendan Lee Dadleh had been overpaid due to “persistent omission to declare” earnings.

However, Judge Simon Stretton said “for some reason” the Port Augusta cleaner was not contacted until two years later.

Brenda Lee Dadleh has twice been convicted for fraudulently receiving government payments.

The court heard between July 2014, and February, 2019 the 58-year-old failed to declare her earnings correctly over 120 fortnightly benefit periods, receiving $79,395.43 while completing “periodic work” as a cleaner at Pika Wiya Health Service and “entry level admin jobs”.

“That allowance... required you to declare any other income you earned whilst in receipt of those benefits,” Judge Stretton said.

“You did not declare those earnings to the Commonwealth and accordingly you were overpaid your carer benefits.

“There was a legal obligation on you to unilaterally report to the Commonwealth a change in your circumstances whereby you earned above a certain level.

“You were only partially entitled to the benefits paid.”

Dadleh, who pleaded guilty at an earlier hearing, was caring for her mother who had suffered from a stroke and needed “continuous support”.

She had been earning $23 an hour as a cleaner at the time of the offending and told investigators she had a “limited understanding” of the Commonwealth’s benefits system.

“You indicated that you were not able to read when the officers started showing you documentation,” Judge Stretton said.

“You agreed you should have reported the income and you were angry with yourself for not having done so.”

It was revealed at a previous hearing $66,442.19 still remained outstanding as of July 7.

The court heard Dadleh had fraudulently received almost $80,000 in Centrelink carer payments. Picture: Jerad Williams

The court heard Dadleh had committed “similar offending” in the past although it was a “much lower amount”.

She received a conviction in August, 2010 in the Port Augusta Magistrates Court for three counts of obtaining financial advantage for herself from another person.

She was placed on a 12-month, $5000 good behaviour bond and had to pay a reparation order of more than $5660 for “fraud with respect to government benefits” between January and November, 2009.

However, Judge Stretton said during the time of her second bout of offending Dadleh was “stressed, depressed” and suicidal due to “unresolved grief and loss” following the death of her brother and father and her only son being diagnosed with testicular cancer.

The court also heard her first partner was also convicted and imprisoned for manslaughter.

“One can only imagine what the combination of those circumstances was for you. Somewhat of an ongoing nightmare,” he said.

The court heard she had developed a “shopping addiction” as an “emotional coping strategy and temporary escape” from her depression and took out two personal loans to fund her “sprees”.

She received a suspended 18-month jail sentence and a two year good behaviour bond.