Former DSS worker Adele Quarrell pleads guilty to social security fraud

A mixture of meth and gambling have played roles in the downfall of a veteran public servant who committed an “egregious” social security scam through the fraudulent use of MyGov accounts.

Adele Rachael Quarrell faced the Maroochydore District Court on Monday. Picture: Sam Turner

A Mooloolah Valley woman has been jailed for her $30,000 social security rort through fraudulent Covid and flood relief payments.

A mix of meth, domestic violence and gambling were the catalysts for Adele Rachael Quarrell’s scam where she ripped off Services Australia of tens of thousands of dollars through dozens of claims from March 22 to June 15 in 2022.

Maroochydore District Court heard on Monday how the 45-year-old woman committed her government swindle after being employed by the Department of Social Services or Services Australia for more than two decades after being hired in 1999.

The court was told Quarrell kickstarted her scam by submitting false Covid-19 and disaster relief payment claims.

Commonwealth prosecutor Georgia Kelly said Quarrell made claims in her own name saying she was affected by floods once and had lost income due to the pandemic three times.

Ms Kelly said these claims were false as she did not live in a flood affected area and in fact actually worked for DSS during the dates she submitted.

She pleaded guilty to 39 charges. Picture: Sam Turner

The court heard the Mooloolah Valley woman stepped up her scheme when she took “control” of the MyGov accounts of 16 people through her employment at DSS.

It was here she nominated her own bank accounts as the finishing line for more false Centrelink and MyGov claims.

Quarrell changed their contact details so they would not receive any communications on her swindle, in what Ms Kelly described as a “calculated” process.

The Mooloolah Valley woman defrauded $30,000 over 39 false claims which ranged from payments of either $750 or $100. She had only paid back $1787.12 through $20 a fortnight payments.

Judge Gary Long said Quarrell made admissions to internal government investigators when she was confronted at her Caloundra workplace about the fraud.

She was jailed on Monday. Picture: Sam Turner

Quarrell was fired from her job on October 13, 2022, with the court hearing she spent two thirds of the payments on ice and gambling.

She accepted her guilt in Maroochydore District Court on Thursday after pleading guilty to 39 counts of dishonestly obtaining a financial advantage by deception.

Defence barrister Lachlan Ygoa-McKeown said Quarrell was struggling with domestic violence around the time with her former partner introducing her to meth which led to an addiction.

This partnered with a gambling habit, housing issues and a desire to support her children led to her offending, the court heard.

Mr Ygoa-McKeown said the 45-year-old struggled with her mental health, completed drug rehabilitation and was remorseful.

In delivering his decision on Monday after reserving it from last week, Judge Long plainly called it an “egregious” breach of trust through abuse of the availability of her victim’s contact details through her job at the government.

Quarrell was jailed for 18 months, to be released after serving four months. She will be placed on a probation order for two years upon her release and must be of good behaviour for three years.

She must also pay back the $28,212.88 outstanding to the government.