Erickson Vivian Lawler: Fraudster bookkeeper stole over $130K from Logan employer

A “trusted” bookkeeper has narrowly avoided jail after overpaying himself more than $136,000 while working for a concreting business in Logan.

A fraudster bookkeeper has narrowly avoided jail after overpaying himself more than $136,000 while working for a concreting business in Logan.

Caboolture man Erickson Vivian Lawler, 74, pleaded guilty in district court at Beenleigh on Friday to one count of fraud (dishonestly obtains property from another by employee value over $30,000).

Erickson Vivian Lawler leaving Beenleigh courthouse.

The court heard Lawler, who was aged between 58 and 60 during the offence, used his “trusted position” as a bookkeeper to overpay himself a total sum of $136,000.17 over the 2006-07 and 2007-08 financial years.

He was employed as a bookkeeper and payroll officer from 1992-2009 for BBC Concrete Proprietary Limited trading as Remo Concrete Constructions in Logan.

The court heard Lawler was largely left to his own devices and was responsible for daily banking, payment of moneys to creditors, payment of wages and reconciliation of accounts among other things.

The overpayments were discovered after Lawler was made redundant and an account employed by the company noticed two suspicious transactions.

Lawler’s lawyer told the court his client had “significant health issues” and was “financially stressed” at the time of the offending.

“He ultimately became bankrupt and through that, they lost the home they had a mortgage on, his partner also lost about $100,000 worth of his savings in the whole process of the bankruptcy,” he said.

Judge Craig Chowdhury said fraud by an employee is a serious offence and constitutes a “shocking breach of trust.”

“Your former employer is out of pocket because you are in no position to pay the restitution,” he said.

He was sentenced to a four-year suspended sentence of imprisonment. 

Originally published as Erickson Vivian Lawler: Fraudster bookkeeper stole over $130K from Logan employer