Adam Granato jailed for attempting to defraud Service NSW had his non-parole period reduced

A Gateshead man was given an early Christmas present when he was granted an appeal to shorten his non-parole period after being jailed for bushfire fraud last month.

A bushfire fraudster will be home for Christmas after an appeal in the district court saw his non-parole period reduced to just one month.

Adam Paul Granato, from Gateshead, pleaded guilty to one count of attempting to dishonestly obtain financial benefit by deception after he tried to defraud the NSW Government out of $50,000 worth of bushfire grants he wasn’t entitled to.

The court heard he was told about the scheme by colleague Stephen Hancock, who was one of the major players nabbed for trying to scam Service NSW out of more than $100,000.

Supplied Editorial Adam Granato leaves Belmont Courthouse. Picture: Emily Burley.

Stephen Gregory Hancock pleaded guilty to scamming Service NSW out of more than $100,000 from the bushfire business grants scheme. Picture Amy Ziniak

Hancock targeted a Willawarrin property, north-west of Kempsey, after it had been destroyed by a ferocious bushfire in November 2019.

He has pleaded guilty to three counts of dishonestly obtaining financial advantage by deception and another charge of attempting to do so.

In Newcastle District Court on Friday, Granato’s solicitor Iain Bruce said his client let Hancock make the application and was “passive” in the sense that he handed over his account for him to do so.

Mr Bruce told the court Hancock had assured him he could do it for him.

“He facilitated his ABN for the application to be made. He is somewhat immature. He accepts it is reckless,” he said.

“He continued to believe he was entitled to the money.”

Via video link, an emotional Granato blurted out, “didn’t know it was for a bushfire”.

Granato pleaded guilty to one count of attempting to defraud Service NSW.

But Judge Roy Ellis said it was clear Granato didn’t have any property damaged by bushfire and while he may have let someone facilitate it, he knew he was entitled to the claim, which warranted great “stupidity”.

In November, Granato was sentenced to 12 months jail with a non-parole period of six months but had his non-parole period reduced to just one month last week, which makes him eligible for release on December 23.

Police facts stated that Granato used pictures of a Mid-North Coast home destroyed by bushfire when he applied online in July last year for a Small Business Bushfire Recovery Grant from Service NSW, claiming his business Hunter Valley Concreting had been affected by the November 2019 fires.

He tried to swindle $50,000, but ended up missing out on the payment because detectives from Lake Macquarie-based Strike Force Roche - set up to investigate bushfire and Covid relief fraud - intervened before the money hit his bank account.

Court documents revealed that he was questioned by officers at Belmont Police Station about unrelated alleged drug offences a week after he made the application, and police used it as a chance to probe the bushfire claim.

Police facts said Granato’s mobile phone was seized and seven images were retrieved of an Old Bar home destroyed by fire, but when police investigated further, the homeowner had no knowledge of any business operating out of the property or any applications for grants.

He later told police he was going to cancel the application and while he did contact Service NSW that day to cancel the $50,000 claim - which he never received - he was still charged over making the application.