Cindy Talbot: Nowra woman jailed after scamming $53k from bushfire and pandemic grants

A woman who attempted to scam $250k worth of bushfire and pandemic relief grants - using a range of fake names - has seen her fraudulent escapades end in a jail sentence.

Cindy Lee Talbot applied for a total of $255,030 in grants from Service NSW.

A woman who attempted to scam $250k worth of bushfire and pandemic relief grants through the use of various fake names has seen her fraudulent escapades end in a jail sentence.

Cindy Lee Talbot, 45, faced Nowra Local Court on Tuesday to be sentenced on 10 offences, including publish false and misleading material to obtain financial advantage and dishonestly obtain financial advantage by deception, following pleas of guilty in May.

Police documents tendered to the court reveal the magnitude of the Nowra woman’s fraud, detailing how Talbot successfully scammed $53k and spent the money.

“This is just absolutely appalling,” Magistrate Gabriel Flemming said in court on Tuesday.

Agreed facts state between March 10, 2020 and April 21, 2021, Talbot submitted 24 applications to Service NSW, for various Covid-19 and Black Summer Fire grants, ranging from $6000 to $50,000. Talbot attempted to scam a total of $255,030 of grant money.

Talbot used a different name in each application, due to regulations stating only one person can apply for each grant.

Cindy Lee Talbot was jailed in Nowra Local Court on Tuesday.

Some of the fake names used by Talbot included Jacqueline McLean, Even Kershaw and Larry McLeod. While 18 of her applications were declined, six were granted, seeing Talbot pocket $53,000.

The court heard on Tuesday how Talbot used the funds to purchase drugs and pay off debts.

Cindy Lee Talbot was sentenced in Nowra Local Court on Tuesday, after pocketing $53k in bushfire and pandemic grant scams.

The scammer’s lawyer, Hannah Dreher, said full-time custody may not be necessary given her client’s minimal criminal history.

Ms Flemming shook her head in response, before asking correctional officers to be called into the courtroom.

While sentencing, Talbot cried as Ms Flemming said the “serious charges are absolutely shocking”.

“When you publish false information to profit, especially with bushfire grants, the victims are all of us,” she said. “The community who faced the fires, lost homes and were left with nothing. They could have used that $53k to get their lives back on track instead of you using it to treat yourself.”

Talbot was convicted and sentenced to two years and six months jail, with a non-parole period of six months.

She was also ordered to pay back the $53k to the NSW Government.