Corey Tauariki: Top Logan netball umpire guilty of fraud
A key member of the Logan sports community, who has represented Australia as a netball umpire, has pleaded guilty to ripping off a drag queen accessory store.
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A top Logan netball official ripped off an online retailer in a sneaky ploy to get a free fancy wig, a court heard.
Corey Tauariki, 24, a part-time manager at a leading Logan netball club, pleaded guilty to the single fraud charge.
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In addition to his role at the club, the defendant is also an umpire of some repute, having travelled to South Africa in July 2017 to represent Australia as an official in the Indoor Netball Junior World Series.
He also represented Australia at home in the 2015 Junior Indoor Netball Tri-Nations.
The Meadowbrook man was charged last month with a single count of fraud more than two years after the offence occurred.
The court heard Tauariki purchased a $99 wig from Showgirl Wigs on February 8, 2018, which also included $20 postage.
The wig was delivered and signed for by ‘Corey T’ on February 12.
However, on February 23, Tauariki contacted his credit card provider to report the transaction as fraudulent and request a chargeback.
When questioned by the owner, Harley Solomou, who had received an email alerting him to the chargeback two days later, Tauariki told him to disregard it.
The defendant told Mr Solomou he had made a “silly mistake”, a claim he repeated to him on March 11.
On May 6, Showgirl Wigs was debited $119 for the chargeback, which also included a $25 processing fee.
The victim made a report to police, which resulted in Tauariki being interviewed at Crestmead Police Station and charged on June 22 this year.
The court heard Tauariki told police that he couldn’t remember making the purchase which was why he reported it as fraudulent.
However, the prosecution submitted that Tauariki made no effort to ascertain the truth of the matter and simply accepted the money in addition to the wig.
Tauariki was fined $400 and ordered to pay compensation of $144 to Mr Solomou. No conviction was recorded.