Amanda Magee jailed after tricking a company into a $300,000+ loan

A serial fraudster has been jailed for dodgy dealings that began when the health of her pigs deteriorated and she was forced to put some of them down.

Amanda Magee was sentenced to five years in prison, which is to be suspended after 14 months for a five year period. File Photo.

A South Burnett pig farmer scammed a finance business out of more than $300,000 by falsifying bank statements, letters, contact details and even providing a non-existent accountant, all to keep her failing businesses afloat.

While working as the director of Sovereigndale Pastoral Company, which grows and sells hay, business owner Amanda Magee, 37, applied for a hefty loan from the victim company TIM Finance.

The 37-year-old obtained the money under the ruse it was to supply four fabricated clients with $482,641 worth of goods.

Crown prosecutor James Bishop said Magee supplied the finance company with false bank statements to obtain the loan, along with the name of a fake accountant, falsified APO records overstating the financial state of her business, and fake addresses, email addresses and phone numbers for the four businesses.

Based on the fraudulent documents she produced and supplied, TIM Finance agreed to loan Magee $328,372 to cover the impending invoices, which she was to repay at a later date.

Mr Bishop told the court Magee then provided the finance company with falsified letters purportedly written by each of the four businesses saying they’d received the goods.

The court was told Magee had a history of similar dishonesty and was sentenced for fraud back in 2015.

Mr Bishop said Magee was slapped with a nine-month stint behind bars for misappropriating $16,000 while she was the treasurer at Wondai Kindergarten.

The court heard Magee’s financial troubles began when she and her husband purchased a piggery at Speedwell, with difficulties escalating after issues arose surrounding the health of the pigs, with some of the animals to be put down.

Magee pleaded guilty in Kingaroy District Court to one count of fraud.

Judge Orazio Rinaudo sentenced her to five years’ jail, which is to be suspended after she serves 14 months.

The court was told full restitution has been made to the victim company, however Judge Rinaudo noted it was not voluntary and proceedings had to be undertaken to retrieve the outstanding money.