Brisbane mother-of-four caught in $36K Centrelink scam

A 51-year-old Brisbane mother of four has been sentenced to prison for fraudulently taking tens of thousands of dollars of social benefits.

A mother-of-four from Brisbane’s north has been sentenced to prison for falsely claiming more than $36,000 in Centrelink payments over four years.

Bracken Ridge woman Maria Luisa Stevenson, 51, pleaded guilty to two counts of obtaining personal financial advantage at the Sandgate Magistrates Court on Wednesday.

According to commonwealth prosecutor Brianna Finnegan, Stevenson was in receipt of both the Newstart and the single parent payment when she began to fraudulently declare incorrect income information in March of 2013.

Maria Stevenson leaving Sandgate Magistrates Court on Wednesday.

While she worked part-time as a cleaner for the Ibis hotel in Brisbane, Stevenson falsely reported her income as nil 131 times and falsely under reported her income 90 times.

This led to Stevenson receiving more than $85,000 in benefits when she’d only been entitled to around $49,000.

The court heard the discrepancy was discovered by data matching and Stevenson participated in a formal interview on August 28, 2019.

Stevenson told government employees she’d never knowingly provided false information and thought she was only required to report her income the week she completed her fortnightly declaration.

Stevenson has already paid back more than $8000.

Lawyer for the defence Ann-Maree Russo from Legal Aid Queensland told the court Stevenson struggled with significant financial stress after her husband returned to the Philippines, leaving her to raise four children now aged between 18 and 14.

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The court heard Stevenson, who has no other criminal history, lives a quiet and relatively isolated existence and “never tried to hide the money” she under reported to the government.

In the time since the formal interview, Stevenson has repaid $8434 of the money owed, leaving a remaining balance owed of $28,324.

Magistrate Jennifer Batts said imprisonment was the only appropriate sentence given the large amount of money taken.

Stevenson was sentenced to 12 months imprisonment and released forthwith.

She was placed on a $2000 good behaviour bond for two years and ordered to pay the remaining amount in full.