Heidi Barrat pleads guilty to $60k mouse plague payment fraud
A Riverina woman who was arrested for funnelling tens of thousands of dollars designed to help residents affected by mouse plagues in regional NSW has pleaded guilty to all charges.
The Wagga News
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A Lockhart woman who police say falsely claimed tens of thousands of dollars of mouse plague relief payments from the government has pleaded guilty to her charges.
Heidi Barrat appeared in Wagga Local Court on Wednesday and formally entered pleas of guilty to 10 counts of dishonestly obtaining financial advantage by deception and one of deal with identity information to commit an indictable offence.
In a statement released by NSW Police, their investigations began in October 2022 into claims made to Service NSW for mouse control rebate payments.
Police say the 31-year-old woman received 120 payments into 120 different bank accounts with the total money funnelled out of state coffers totalling $60,000.
Officers attached to the Riverina Police District with assistance from the Wagga Region Enforcement Squad, executed a search warrant at Ms Barrat’s home in Lockhart about 9.20am on November 24 2022, where she was arrested and charged, before being released on conditional bail.
Ms Barrat will be sentenced in Wagga Wagga Local Court on March 20.
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