Gippsland fraud mum Tahra Wyntjes jailed after pleading guilty to $600,000 GST scam: Court
A Gippsland mum took taxpayers to the cleaners for $600,000 which she splashed on meth, Airbnbs, Menulog, Gucci and Apple.
Bass Coast News
Don't miss out on the headlines from Bass Coast News. Followed categories will be added to My News.
A greedy Gippsland mum stole almost $600,000 from taxpayers to bankroll a meth, Airbnb, Menulog, Apple and designer label spending spree.
Tahra Wyntjes, 24, was sentenced in the County Court on Wednesday to a 28-month jail term after pleading guilty to obtain a financial advantage by deception.
Wyntjes, a mother of two, stole $599,349 from taxpayers via a hefty GST rort between May 2021 and January 2022.
The court heard Wyntjes lodged bogus GST refunds for a phony residential cleaning company which she registered in 2022.
The con artist mum lodged 27 dodgy business activity statements with the Australian Taxation Office but she never operated a cleaning business and had zero business expenses.
The tax office, which smelled a rat and investigated Wyntjes, sent the shonky mum a letter in January 2022 which asked her to provide information supporting her claims.
Wyntjes informed the tax office she was “so flat out with my business and son” and she would “forward the information to you ASAP”.
Wyntjes, of Moe, also attempted to fleece a further $259,976 between January and March 2022 but her fraud racket was torpedoed by authorities.
Tax office investigators emailed, called and wrote letters to Wyntjes seeking information but she “offered no assistance”.
Authorities uncovered where the money vanished to after trawling through Wyntjes’ bank accounts.
Wyntjes blew $244,831 on Apple products, sent $139,154 to her partner and $48,500 to another man, splashed $20,458 on Airbnbs, and gave $18,054 to her partner’s mother.
Wyntjes also coughed up taxpayer dough for flights, accommodation, Menulog, Uber Eats, daily living expenses and designer outlets including Gucci and Louis Vuitton
The court heard Wyntjes, who grew up in Gippsland, also used a stack of cash to “finance” her “raging methamphetamine habit”.
Wyntjes’ partner will “shoulder the load” and look after the kids while she spends time behind bars, the court was told.
“All the money was spent on yourself and your own leisurely expenditure rather than on anything to do with cleaning equipment or cleaning services …,” Judge Richard Maidment said.
“Some of the other money was really wasted … you engaged in your own spending sprees and gave money to your partner … all of that money seems to have disappeared one way or another …
“This was an offence of sheer greed and opportunism … having discovered the means by which you could cheat the tax office …”
Wyntjes was jailed for a maximum four years and ordered to repay the stolen cash.
Three teens arrested after alleged hammer attack on guards
Two shopping centre security guards have been injured after they were allegedly attacked with a hammer by a group of teens in Traralgon.
Excitement grows for the 2024 Moe Cup
Punters and fashionistas are getting keen for a thrilling day of action at this year’s Ladbrokes Moe Cup, a “race that stops the Latrobe Valley”. Check back to see the social snaps.