Sarah Diacono pleads guilty to stealing $37k from Gold Coast employer

A woman had already been busted taking more than $35k in extra welfare payments when she was caught stealing huge amounts of cash from her Gold Coast employer.

A mum of four and serial swindler who ripped off more than $37,000 from her Gold Coast employer has been locked behind bars.

Sarah Diacono, 48, wept and wiped her face with tissues as she sat in the dock throughout her sentencing proceedings in Southport District Court on Thursday.

The court was told that while working as retail manager at Pimpama’s Every Battery store between November, 2019 and June, 2022, Diacono pocketed 87 wads of cash that she was supposed to be depositing into her employer’s bank account, totalling $37,360.

Crown prosecutor Ryder Reid said she was caught out when an internal audit revealed the discrepancy between the store’s cash transactions and the amount deposited.

Diacono denied the theft when confronted by the brand’s national manager, claiming she had no knowledge of the missing cash and had been making regular deposits.

Mr Reid said any expression of remorse by Diacono was “certainly recent”, and that she made no attempt to repay the five-figure sum prior to her sentencing.

The court was told it was not the mother’s first scheme, with Diacono previously dealt with for stealing more than $35,000 in extra Centrelink benefits by falsely claiming she was a single parent.

Defence barrister Michael Connolly, instructed by Allen & Searing Criminal Lawyers, said his client was hardly living “the high life” on the stolen funds, instead gambling the cash away or putting it towards cost-of-living expenses.

Mr Connolly said Dianoco was isolated from much of her family at the time and had since been assessed as having high levels of depression and anxiety.

“She is someone I submit can recover from this offence, make proper restitution and get on with her life,” he said.

Judge Rowan Jackson said Diacono’s offending was a serious breach of her employer’s trust and that it appeared she had learnt very little from her first brush with the law.

“(The timing of your plea) and your dishonesty when confronted by your manager don’t scream of great remorse or insight into the wrongful way in which you behaved,” Judge Jackson said.

“It’s true there’s been no offer to pay compensation previously, you haven’t come to court today and said, ‘I have accumulated an amount which I can pay immediately’ … it’s all completely last-minute when the risk of actual time in custody is looming.”

Diacono pleaded guilty to stealing by clerks and servants.

She was sentenced to two-and-a-half years’ jail, to be suspended for three years after she has spent five months in custody.