Mohammed Chehade: Yagoona man sentenced for defrauding $10,000 in Covid grants
A truck driver who unlawfully pocketed $10,000 from the NSW Government in a scheme involving a criminal syndicate which submitted dodgy applications for Covid grants designed for struggling businesses.
The Express
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A truck driver who unlawfully pocketed $10,000 from the NSW Government following a scheme involving a criminal syndicate which submitted dodgy applications for Covid grants designed for struggling businesses has been convicted.
Mohammed Chehade, 42, appeared before Bankstown Local Court on Thursday and pleaded guilty to recklessly dealing with proceeds of crime after $10,000 was deposited into his bank account from a Service NSW micro-business support payment in September 2021.
The Yagoona man also pleaded guilty to participate in a criminal group, which was taken into account on sentence.
Chehade unlawfully received a Covid microbusiness grant designed to help support small businesses during the 2021 Delta outbreak.
In November 2021, Strike force Sainsbery was established to investigate suspected fraudulent grant applications made to Service NSW.
Documents tendered to court state a number of people were involved in a co-ordinated effort to submit fraudulent business grant applications using stolen or borrowed identities and police found Chehade provided his details for a payment from Service NSW into his bank account.
The facts state the criminal syndicate submitted 16 applications to Service NSW in September 2021 using the name of an unknown person. The applications used Australian Business Numbers (ABNs) that person was not involved with.
A microbusiness support payment application was submitted to Service NSW on September 20 2021 in the same person’s name, however the nominated NAB bank account was in the name of Chehade.
Service NSW deposited $9000 into Chehade’s NAB account the next day and he transferred the money into other accounts held in his name.
Two weeks later another $1500 was deposited into Chehade’s NAB account.
In May 2022, Chehade attended Bankstown police station where he was arrested and charged.
Magistrate Glenn Walsh said at Bankstown Local Court on Thursday while Chehade’s role in the fraud “was important, it was small” and sentenced him to seven-month intensive correction order.
Chehade was convicted and ordered to pay $10,500 in compensation to Revenue Service NSW.
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