Ronnie Achurch pleads guilty to bushfire fund fraud, drug possession charges

A designer dog breeder was paid $10,000 in disaster relief payments after he provided a photo of fire damage, later revealed to have been ripped from an online news site.

Ronnie Achurch pleaded guilty to defrauding $10,000 from the NSW Small Business Bushfire Fund Grant scheme.

A designer dog breeder has admitted at the eleventh hour he defrauded a bushfire grant scheme designed to help those devastated by the Black Summer blazes.

Ronnie Achurch, 33, had originally pleaded not guilty to two counts of dishonestly gaining financial advantage by deception, publishing false material to obtain advantage, recklessly deal with proceeds of crime more than $50,000, acquire ammunition subject to prohibition order, and five counts of drug possession.

The Camden Park man was due to fight the charges at a hearing on Friday at Picton Local Court but his lawyer indicated a plea offer had been made to the prosecution which had been accepted.

Achurch pleaded guilty to dishonestly gaining financial advantage by deception, acquiring ammunition subject to prohibition order and two counts of drug possession. The remainder of the charges were withdrawn.

According to police facts, detectives established Strike Force Fireant in 2020 to investigate people associated with outlaw motorcycle gangs who had unlawfully obtained money from the Service NSW Small Business Bushfire Support Grants scheme.

Ronnie Achurch pleaded guilty to defrauding Services NSW of $10,000. Picture: Adelaide Lang

The Black Summer fires burnt over five million hectares, destroyed 2476 homes, three schools and claimed 26 people lives.

Small business owners impacted by the bushfires could apply for a $10,000 grant as long as they held an Australian Business Number, were engaged in carrying out business in a defined disaster area and had suffered a decline in revenue of 40 per cent or more in a relevant three-month period.

On April 2, 2020 Achurch applied for a grant for his business listed as Offtap Co – which had been cancelled since February 20, 2020.

He nominated his parents property at Sackville as the impacted business, which was not the primary address on his listing.

Dog breeder Ronnie Achurch’s Facebook was littered with pictures of dogs dressed in designer brands and gold chains.

Between April and May 2020, Achurch was in contact with Services NSW and supplied information in relation to alleged damage including a screenshot of a photo of a burnt out structure and an image of a tax invoice to the value of $16,500.

On May 4, Services NSW released $10,000 into Achurch’s nominated account.

Investigators determined his business was not affected by the Black Summer fires areas, and they believed the invoice to be fake.

According to agreed facts, police confirmed the photo of the damage sent by Achurch was in fact a shot taken by a freelancer photographer in Batemans Bay and published by NewsCorp on January 1 that year.

Police raided his home at Hill Top on December 9, 2020 and found a round of .38 special calibre ammunition, 3.87g of methamphetamine, and 0.4g of cannabis.

Achurch is currently subject to a prohibition order not to acquire firearms.

Achurch’s lawyer asked for an adjournment to allow for a sentence assessment report to be completed. Achurch remains on bail and will be sentenced on November 30.