Cathy Jayne Pearce: Arrest warrant issued for former high-flying realtor over welfare fraud allegations
EXCLUSIVE: A WARRANT has been issued for the arrest of former high-flying Adelaide property tycoon Cathy Jayne Pearce, after she failed to attend court over welfare fraud charges.
AN arrest warrant has been issued for former high-flying Adelaide property tycoon Cathy Jayne Pearce, after she failed to front court over welfare fraud charges.
The former BRW rich-lister, who now goes by the surname Hogben, is charged with ripping off Centrelink through alleged illegal Newstart Allowance claims, dating back more than five years.
An arrest warrant was issued for Hogben, 43, almost a fortnight ago when she failed to attend the Adelaide Magistrates Court.
She has yet to plead to three counts of obtaining a financial advantage for herself between April 2011 and July 2012 at Glenelg North, Somerton Park and other undisclosed areas.
Hogben, whose fortune was once estimated at $19 million, faces up to 12 months in prison for each offence.
She told The Advertiser at her Somerton Park house that she was unaware of the case and of the arrest warrant, adding that she denied the charges.
She suggested they may have been triggered by a “trouble maker” who she declined to name.
“Nothing surprises me anymore, I’ve had mud thrown at me and I have been accused of many things, none of which have stuck,” she said.
“I have been on Centrelink but I have been very deserving of it. There is no way I would have abused the system. I have been very entitled to it. I’m not hiding any hundred dollar bills up my backside, that is for sure.
“I don’t see any interest in reading about me, I just can’t understand it, I’m a mum these days.”
Commonwealth prosecutors allege she “falsely represented” having not worked, or earned income, when claiming the welfare payments, which are issued to those actively seeking a job.
They further allege she “under declared” how much she was paid while working for Peter F Burns Real Estate Pty Ltd — the Brighton-based agency where former husband Myles, 69, works.
This meant she received government money to which she was not entitled, or partially entitled, according to court documents released on Wednesday.
They further allege Hogben — also known as Cait Pearce and Cathy Jayne Staker — falsely claimed to Centrelink she had not worked, or earned any income, during her time with the estate agency.
She lodged claims to the Human Services Department “knowing or believing that she was not eligible to receive that financial advantage”, according to a statement of complaint filed with the court.
Authorities have not revealed further details on the case or how much she is accused of illegally receiving. The department is seeking forfeiture, compensation, additional penalty or destruction.
The prosecution is the latest in a series of court cases the former glamour Adelaide A-list member has been embroiled in throughout her colourful career.
Now using her partner Daniel Hogben’s surname, she told The Advertiser earlier this year how she is now a “Brady Bunch” mother to eight in her modest suburban home as she helps manage a Richmond pawn shop.
She was at the centre of a police investigation over allegations some investors lost $100,000 in one of her projects, but Major Fraud detectives declined to lay charges because of a lack of evidence.
She has been involved in a number of civil cases launched by former business partners — all of which were resolved out of court.
A FLAMBOYANT CAREER
• Cathy Pearce started in business in 1997 after buying a pair of maisonettes with only $6000, later winning various business awards.
• Was considered the South Australian property princess in the 1990s as managing director of Cathy Jayne Developments, which specialised in renovating blocks of units for profit.
• Between 1996 and 2005, Cathy Jayne Developments worked on up to 400 properties a year, with a turnover exceeding $100 million while at the height of Adelaide’s real-estate boom it attracted dozens of investors who enjoyed healthy returns in a buoyant property market.
• She held directorships in several companies, was a high-profile member of Adelaide’s social circuit and lived in $5.2 million Medindie mansion The Myrtles with her former tycoon husband Myles Pearce.
• During a market slowdown in 2004 many investors incurred heavy losses as projects sold for a loss.
• She and Myles moved to Queensland in March 2006 following the collapse of Cathy Jayne Developments, later renamed Metamorphosis, and were later declared bankrupt.
• They returned to live in Adelaide in 2009 and split two years later.
• She was at the centre of a number of civil disputes spanning almost 10 years with former business partners but all eventually resolved out of court.
• She was discharged from bankruptcy in 2012 and has written a book about her experience.