Arabella Del Busso sentenced to jail for stealing money from employer
A former reality TV contestant turned boxer has finally faced the music following months of court delays after she stole cash from her employer in an EFTPOS scam.
NSW
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A former WAG and reality TV contestant turned professional boxer has been jailed for stealing $52,000 from her employer through an EFTPOS scam when she worked as a medical receptionist.
Arabella Del Busso finally faced up to her crimes after she delayed court proceedings for months after pleading guilty to two counts of stealing as an employee.
The former model girlfriend of NRL star Josh Reynolds – who she faked three miscarriages with while in a relationship – was sentenced in Sutherland Local Court on Tuesday.
The facts state Del Busso began working as a receptionist at Rheumatology Specialist Care – which is now called Integrated Specialist Medical Care – on September 10, 2019, in the Kogarah and Randwick practices, eventually being given the responsibility of depositing cash takings and banking.
From the end of December 2019 until the beginning of February, the practice manager went on leave and Del Busso was in charge of banking at both practices.
Upon the manager’s return, she noticed financial irregularities in the reconciliation of cash amounts received compared to what money was deposited, noting only minimal deposits had been made.
The manager conducted a full audit of the accounts and realised $35,785 and $16,565 was missing from the Kogarah and Randwick practices respectively.
The manager confirmed Del Busso swapped shifts with her colleagues and contacted 34 patients on various days through the work computer to advise the EFTPOS terminal was not working and to bring cash, despite it working.
Detectives obtained Del Busso’s bank records which showed thousands of dollars in cash deposits were put into her account.
Del Busso, who moved to Victoria, was not arrested until May 2021, due to Covid border closures.
In court, Del Busso’s lawyer Andrew Stewart said obtaining employment had been difficult for Del Busso and it could affect her boxing prospects due to media attention of her past scandals and publicity of the current court proceedings.
Mr Stewart said Del Busso had “turned a new leaf” and had character references told the court she was not a selfish person and was trustworthy.
Mr Stewart said his client suffered mental health problems and was seeing a psychologist.
The court heard Del Busso told a psychologist that “temptation got the better” of her and she “acted impulsively”, was remorseful and regretted her actions.
Mr Stewart said Del Busso was in a stable relationship, had family support and was focusing on her boxing training.
Magistrate Hugh Donnelly said Del Busso’s crimes involved a “large sum of money” which was taken over a lengthy period of time, which only stopped when the manager reviewed the records, not from her own accord.
“It was an appalling breach of trust where she used her position to make a substantial financial gain. She must be held accountable and conduct denounced,” he said adding she was the “instigator” of the fraudulent scheme.
Mr Donnelly accepted the case was initially delay due to the Victorian Covid shutdown but then said Del Busso had caused delays when she was convicted in her absence, annulled the conviction and then did not attend court for medical reasons.
Mr Donnelly noted that a jail service to be served in the community was not available to Del Busso because she lived in Victoria and she was sentenced to 20 months in prison with a non parole period of 12 months.
She will be eligible for release to parole on February 12, 2025.
Del Busso immediately lodged an appeal in the District Court and applied for bail pending its outcome, however it was refused partly because she failed to attend court on numerous occasions.
The court heard Del Busso could stay with a friend in Frenchs Forest and surrender her passport but she was still deemed a flight risk.
Del Busso rose to fame during her high-profile relationship with former NRL player Josh Reynolds. She became embroiled in scandal when she feigned three miscarriages while dating the league star before their messy split.
Reynolds was accused of assaulting Del Busso but charges were later dropped.
In October 2020, Del Busso appeared on reality show SAS Australia but sensationally walked out after attempting to explain the lies she told Reynolds.
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