Charity worker swipes $130,000 from employer for UberEats, PayPal

A charity employee has been jailed for making 190 fraudulent transactions worth more than $130,000, with a judge saying there was “sophistication” to her steps to avoid getting caught.

The woman was executive assistant to charity’s Chief Financial Officer at the time of offending. Picture: File photo/iStock

A charity employee has been jailed for making 190 fraudulent transactions on two corporate credit cards worth more than $100,000 which included paying for UberEats deliveries and transferring funds into her personal accounts.

The victim in this case was General Practice Queensland Limited, also known as CheckUp, which is a not-for-profit that organises for health services to reach people in rural, remote and Indigenous communities throughout Queensland.

Terehia Ataahua Whakaata Peepe, 33, pleaded guilty in Brisbane District Court to two charges - fraud by an employee of more than $100,000, and attempting to pervert justice.

She was executive assistant to charity’s Chief Financial Officer and her offending spanned 14 months from December 2018 to February 2020.

During her sentencing on Monday, crown prosecutor Hamish McIntyre said the fraudulent transactions totalled $133,996.80.

“She created false invoices to avoid detection, so there is some sophistication to it,” Mr McIntyre told the court.

“She used the funds for personal goods, food delivery services, and also making payments to her PayPal account.”

“She created false documentation and took steps to hide her conduct.”

The court heard Ms Peepe’s offending was uncovered when the Chief Financial Officer requested an independent audit.

In August 2021, Ms Peepe was interviewed by police and made full admissions.

The prosecution submitted that she should be handed a six-year jail term.

Defence barrister Roman Micairan tendered three psychologists’ reports which described a diagnosis of kleptomania, which is a mental health disorder in which the person is unable to resist the urges to steal items they don’t actually need.

Mr Micairan also said Ms Peepe had been introduced to gambling by a previous partner, resulting in her accumulating debts.

“The combination of untreated kleptomania and gambling disorder … fosters a pattern of self-destructive behaviour,” he told the court.

Mr Micairan instead asked for a prison sentence of four-and-a-half years.

In sentencing, Judge Brad Farr described Ms Peepe’s “lengthy criminal history” dating back to 2009 including previous “similar” fraud, stealing and forgery offences.

Judge Farr said Ms Peepe had previously been given probation or suspended prison terms - she had never been sentenced to actual jail time.

He sentenced Ms Peepe to five years’ jail for the fraud offence, and a further nine months for attempting to pervert justice.

Ms Peepe will have to serve at least 18 months behind bars before he will be eligible for parole on March 30, 2026.