Nancy Clare McFarlane charged with stealing the aged pension and carers payments

A 78-year-old Carapooee woman has been charged with receiving the pension and carer payments for a person who has been dead for five years.

Nancy Clare McFarlane, 78, has been charged with stealing a dead woman’s pension.

An elderly woman has been charged with “dishonestly” receiving the pension and carer payments for a person who has been dead for five years.

Nancy Clare McFarlane, 78, has been charged at Bendigo Magistrates’ Court with defrauding Services Australia.

Ms McFarlane did not appear in court on Wednesday to answer the allegations brought by the Commonwealth Director of Public Prosecution, with her barrister stating she was in hospital due to ill-health.

Documents tendered to the court reveal the Carapooee woman allegedly “dishonestly” received the aged care pension of Marjorie Alice Cocciardi for five years after her death between October 2017 and March 2023 at St Arnaud and other places.

Nancy McFarlane allegedly rorted carer payments and stole the pension of Marjorie Alice Cocciardi, court documents reveal.

Ms McFarlane received the carer payment, carer allowance, carer supplement and other payments for the care of Ms Cocciardi, and is also charged with receiving these payments “by way of deception” for five years after Ms Cocciardi’s death between November 2017 and October 2022 at Maryborough and Carapooee.

It is not clear at the stage how much Ms McFarlane is accused of defrauding from Services Australia, but it could be in the hundreds of thousands.

The aged pension and carer allowance for a single person are both $1144 per fortnight.

If Ms McFarlane received the maximum possible amount in the periods charged, she could have received about $146,000 on the carer’s payment and $159,000 from the aged care pension.

Ms McFarlane will return to court in November.