Queensland courts: Major workplace fraud cases revealed
From a Dalby woman who defrauded $500,000 from her workplace over a decade to a man illegally obtaining a total of $28,577 from the Australian Taxation Office these are some of the fraudsters who fronted court in 2024 and 2025.
Employing schemes, deception and fabrication fraudsters across the region stole money from businesses and individuals before it all came unstuck.
From a Dalby woman who defrauded her workplace of over half a million dollars to a pregnant woman who stole $10,000 from Queensland businesses these are just a few of the offenders who fronted court for fraud.
Kylie Anne Phipps
A 52-year-old Dalby mum will spend the next few years in jail after pleading guilty to defrauding more than a half a million dollars from her workplace.
Kylie Anne Phipps fronted Dalby District Court in August and pleaded guilty to two counts of fraud.
The court heard over the course of a decade from 2011 to 2021, Phipps defrauded Dalby’s Grant Daniel Long Real Proprietary out of $518,000 in 67 fraudulent charges.
Throughout the time Phipps was working in accounts receivable at the company and later became the financial manager.
Phipps told police during her time working at the company she would create “dummy sales” and then transfer the money to herself, with the first offence occurring 14 months after she began working there.
Phipps’ scheme went undetected for the better part of a decade, until the company changed their accounting systems. An external audit revealed abnormalities in the company’s finances.
In December 2021, Phipps resigned from GDL.
When police spoke to Phipps on March 13, 2024 after the fraud had been discovered, she admitted to the crime and said she first embezzled from the company to help pay off her mortgage.
Judge Dearden described the offending as “brazen”.
For her offences she was sentenced to a seven-year jail term.
She will be eligible for parole on August 19, 2027.
The full story can be found here.
Katrina Turnbull
A pregnant west Queensland woman with ties to Toowoomba escaped an extended stay in prison despite stealing more than $10,000 from Queensland businesses.
St George mother Katrina Elizabeth Turnbull, 39, appeared before Toowoomba Magistrates Court in June where she pleaded guilty to 36 offences including a string of stealing and fraud charges.
The court was told the mother of six stole in excess of $10,585 goods from businesses across the Brisbane, St George and Toowoomba regions between mid-2024 and early 2025.
Among the items stolen were a $799 projector, $669 in clothing and accessories, $1799 generator, more than $2000 worth of power tools and a roast chicken concealed on her person.
Prosecution said, when confronted by police, Turnbull told officers she had taken a large number of the items to pay for food and fuel in order to return home to her children in the St George region.
Turnbull, who has a long history of similar offending, was on parole while committing 11 of the offences.
Defence solicitor Christiane Mullins advised the court that Turnbull was pregnant, despite being held in detention awaiting her sentence, and would suffer greatly if given more jail time.
“She is a woman who suffers through her pregnancies very significantly, they are regularly termed high-risk pregnancy,” she said.
“She has been in significant pain all of last week but has not sought medical treatment for fear she would miss today.
“A term of imprisonment will be particularly onerous on her and affect her more than the average person.”
Acting magistrate Simone Bain sentenced Turnbull to 12 months’ imprisonment under an intensive correction order, which would see her serve out her time in the community.
The full story can be found here.
Katrina Leigh Tyler
A Toowoomba mother has sworn she will turn her life around after defrauding thousands from her former employer.
Katrina Leigh Tyler, 40, pleaded guilty to fraud as an employee after falsifying refunds and pocketing thousand dollar jewellery while working at Wallace Bishop in September 2019.
Toowoomba District Court was told Tyler legitimately purchased an item of jewellery from her employer which she later sought an insurance claim on.
“There is no suggestion the insurance claim itself was false,” Crown prosecutor Abby Kong said.
“As a result of that claim, she was given the option of getting a replacement of the item or store credit, she opted for the replacement.”
However, in addition to her replacement piece, Tyler also issued two refunds to herself, amounting $7099 total.
“So in essence, she put through false refunds to herself to dishonestly retain that money,” Ms Kong said.
“It’s the defrauding of an employer, so it is a breach of trust … it’s not like other fraud cases you see where there is repeated conduct over many months or many years but it is nevertheless serious.”
Tyler was sentenced to nine months’ imprisonment with immediate parole.
The full story can be found here.
Michael Paul Bownds
A Chinchilla man has appeared in court following a spree of offending at the bowser in 2023, ripping off about $2500 through the dodgy use of a fuel card.
Michael Paul Bownds, 35, faced Warwick Magistrates Court in September 2024, after the man’s offending came to light.
Police prosecutor Sergeant Steve de Lissa told the court between two periods of July 5 to October 25, 2023; and June 17 to September 19, 2023, Bownds was busted using a fuel card to fill up his vehicle at two service stations in Chinchilla.
“The victim’s fuel card for his work card had been used at a number of occasions, the fuel card was used on 10 occasions and the amount of $2500 was gained as benefit,” sergeant de Lissa said.
Bownds pleaded guilty to two charges of fraud- dishonestly gain benefit or advantage on September 9.
Magistrate Janice Crawford said the plea was early and gave benefit due to the man’s lack of history of a like nature.
“This is misuse of a fuel card, but your use went much further than the accepted amount between the parties,” the magistrate said.
“I do accept this was born out of financial stress, you must take care as you likely won’t get an accommodation like that again.”
Bownds was fined $500 for the offending and ordered to pay back the restitution amount of $2500, referred to SPER.
No convictions were recorded.
The full story can be found here.
Latha Pinapala
A 27-year-old woman from India has been hit with a fine after stealing and racking up payments on two separate bank cards.
Latha Pinapala faced the Dalby Magistrates Court and pleaded guilty to 10 separate offences, including three counts of thefts and seven counts of fraud.
The court was told on July 6, 2024, Pinapala, who had no prior history, stole a Heritage Bank card and spent $280 across five different Dalby stores.
The following month on August 30 Pinapala stole a NAB debit card and fraudulently used the card at two stores, spending a total of $90.98.
Pinapala told the court she had found both of the cards in the park.
Magistrate Aaron Simpson ordered Pinapala to pay a $1000 fine as well as restitution of $370.98 to the victims.
He also ordered it be paid back within the next two weeks as Pinapala, who had moved to Dalby from India just the year prior with her husband and four year-old son, had plans to move back in October.
No conviction was recorded.
The full story can be found here.
Atem Gabriel Deng
A young Toowoomba man has dug himself into a deeper hole of debt after a failed attempt to defraud the government of thousands of dollars.
Atem Gabriel Deng, 20, appearing in Toowoomba District Court, pleaded guilty to illegally obtaining a total of $28,577 from the Australian Taxation Office through fraudulent GST claims.
Prosecutor Sam Knight said Mr Deng, in March of 2022, registered a business under his own name despite having no legitimate reason to do so.
He said Mr Deng then lodged claims to obtain a GST refund, providing false sales information in the process.
“As a result of this fraudulent statement, the ATO provided the defendant with a GST refund of $14,293 to which he was not entitled,” Mr Knight said.
He added a further refund of $14,284 was awarded that same month in response to a second and identical claim.
Judge Dennis Lynch KC condemned the actions, stating the effects of Mr Deng’s decision spread far.
“It is an offence committed against the wider Australian public,” he said.
“The tax system in this country relies upon citizens being honest.
“Your offending effectively takes money out of the general pool of resources available to the government to spend on behalf of the people of Australia.”
Mr Deng was formally charged with two counts of obtaining financial advantage by deception.
He was sentenced to 12 months imprisonment with immediate parole and placed on recognisance order for two years.
Additionally, he was ordered to pay reparations of $27,547.44 to the Commonwealth
The full story can be found here.
