Sue Ma: Petersham thief delays sentence after serving magistrate
A woman who swindled hundreds of thousands from her employer before hitting The Star casino has got the magistrate presiding over her sentencing off the case – all over a takeaway breakfast.
Inner West
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A woman who stole nearly half a million dollars from her employer has had her sentencing delayed – after she served the magistrate his breakfast at a local cafe.
Sue Ma, 49, from Petersham, was due to receive her punishment on Wednesday at Newtown Local Court for swindling more than $418,000 from her employer before heading to The Star casino and Petersham RSL.
In court, her lawyer Ms Pietrini asked magistrate Glenn Bartley if he recognised her client who sported a bob and was wrapped in a black coat in court.
He replied “no” before Ms Pietrini told the court Ma claimed to have served him at a cafe she worked at.
“She works at the cafe and saw you … there might be a perception of bias,” she told the court.
“What’s the cafe? I just need to check what cafe,” Magistrate Bartley said.
A document was tendered to the court before the magistrate said, “This does appear to have been done.”
Ms Pietrini said Ma, who is the aunty of one of the cafe’s joint-owners, worked at the establishment from February until yesterday.
“Her future is contingent on what happens today … In short, yes, she works there,” Ms Pietrini told the court.
Magistrate Bartley said: “I probably should disqualify myself.”
“Having thought about the cafe I did buy takeaway food at the cafe but I don’t recall the accused.”
Ma who has pleaded guilty to obtaining financial advantage by deception was arrested on February 21.
Court documents reveal Ma had swindled a total of $418,740.99 from her employer WMA Water Pty Ltd from April 2017 to March last year.
Ma who was the office manager at the water business had access to the company’s internet banking system and was in charge of inputting payment details of suppliers into the system for payment.
Yet on a total of 39 occasions she had entered her own personal bank account details as those of the water business’s suppliers before withdrawing the funds from The Star casino and Petersham RSL.
After the accused sent the initial payments to her own bank account she prolonged the fraud by setting direct debits with certain creditors that were paid from non-company credit cards and her own NAB account through online bank transfers.
“These payments were set up to ‘pay off’ the invoice unbeknownst to the directors,” according to police facts.
In total, the accused diverted $418,740.99 into her own personal bank account from WMA water.
While she paid back suppliers $180,130.26 from her own account, she fraudulently obtained $238,610.73 in funds.
Ma, who is on bail, will now be sentenced by a different magistrate at Downing Centre Local Court on June 12.
