Accountant Michael Carley caught stealing dead client’s money

An accountant has admitted to stealing eye-watering sums of money from a dead man before a whistleblower exposed his crimes.

A Melbourne accountant stole hundreds of thousands from a dead client through his position as executor of the man’s will.

Michael Carley’s client Kenneth John Butler wanted to share his estate with eight people after he was gone, but instead Carley took advantage of his position to steal the money for himself.

The 68-year-old formally pleaded guilty to three counts of theft and one of false accounting in the County Court of Victoria on Tuesday.

Mr Butler appointed Carley, his accountant, with power of attorney while he was sick, and made Carley the executor of his will.

Michael Carley pleaded guilty to theft and false accounting charges. Picture: Facebook

After Mr Butler died in 2003 Carley transferred $403,685 of Mr Butler’s money into his own bank accounts and submitted false financial statements to try and cover it up.

He stole the money in smaller amounts over eight years, from 2010 to 2018, before a whistleblower former employee alerted authorities.

Carley told investigating solicitors in 2018 he needed the money for his business, a police summary of offending shows.

He claimed he hadn’t done the wrong thing.

He told solicitors he had been “paying it back” with only $50,000 still owing but this was untrue, police documents reveal.

He owned accounting firm Carley Advisory in Frankston while stealing from his dead client.

Carley will next appear on October 19.

Originally published as Accountant Michael Carley caught stealing dead client’s money