Melbourne granny fraudster Maree Wilson pleads guilty to stealing $4 million from Stosius Constructions

A jetsetter granny splurged $4m ripped from a family run Melbourne construction company on overseas holidays, shopping and pokies.

Melbourne granny Maree Wilson pleaded guilty to stealing $4 million from Stosius Constructions. Facebook.

A Melbourne granny left a family run construction company on the rocks after she stole $4m to bankroll degenerate gambling and a luxury cruise splurge.

Maree Wilson, 68, was sentenced in the County Court on Friday to a minimum three-year jail term after pleading guilty to multiple theft charges.

Wilson hoodwinked her employer Stosius Constructions for seven years while employed as the Surrey Hills company’s bookkeeper.

Wilson, who was in charge of various duties including payroll, stole $4,199,136 between 2014 and 2021.

The scoundrel granny, who worked at Stosius Constructions from 2000 until her flagrant offending was unmasked in November 2021, diverted the company’s hard-earned cash into her own bank accounts.

Wilson burned the money on a gratuitous spending spree of shopping, overseas holidays, various cruises and a minimum $500 a day pokies habit.

Wilson claimed she went on “six to eight” overseas holidays in seven years and blew at least $50,000 gambling on cruises but “there were times when it would be a lot more”.

The fraudster also bought gifts for friends and gave cash to her children.

Wilson spent stolen money on overseas holidays, cruises, shopping and gambling.

Wilson, who proudly displayed her undeserved travel and high-end lifestyle on social media, also claimed she gave some money to charity.

The scoundrel’s protracted fraud unravelled after a Stosius accountant red-flagged dodgy transactions in November 2021.

Wilson, of Reservoir, was hauled into a meeting where she admitted her racket to the company director and his son.

“It is serious and I’m glad it’s done, so feel free to call the police and I’ll sit here and wait,” Wilson told her victims.

“There is nothing I can say … you want me to make an excuse, I’m not making excuses … I

don’t own anything …

“I wish I could give you (a reason) it started out as a gambling habit and it’s been a

long time since it was that …

”Its bad … there’s nothing I can say, It is totally and utterly indefensible.”

Wilson also owned up about her stolen money spending habits.

“It started out as a gambling habit, it really did … by then I was just in so deep,” she said.

“At times you know, I’ve given money to one of my children, but they wouldn’t question that … I gave them $500 bucks.

“I’ve never given anyone like $5000 or $10,000 or anything along that line you know.”

Wilson was eventually referred to police who interviewed the fraudster in October 2022.

“I had a dreadful gambling addiction and I had a dreadful shopping addiction at one stage,” Wilson told investigators.

“I was on a cruise, for instance, I mean I could go $50,000 on the cruise … then there was times when it would be a lot more.

“(I) enjoyed (my) time and enjoyed what was happening.

Wilson told police she “enjoyed” what she was doing.

“Yes of course (I knew what I was doing) … I didn’t think about it … I didn’t give it conscious thought … I can’t explain that to someone else.”

Wilson also told police she wanted to tell her victim about the offending on multiple occasions.

“It was the need … you know I went into (the victim’s) office on three occasions and I

was gunna (sic) tell him but it just all got on top of me and I couldn’t concentrate,” Wilson said.

“I needed to tell him and then I’d go into his office and he’d start telling me something and I’d chicken out by the time he’d finished talking …

“That was over a period of years though...... It was easy and it shouldn’t have been easy … one time I gave (the victim) the means to stop me.

“I told him he needed to put some things in place, that he should be taking more responsibility for the finances than he was.”

However, Wilson, who spruiked on social media her thirst for “camping, cruising, dancing, family (and) friends, champagne, red wine (and) good food”, has made zero effort to payback her victim.

The court heard Wilson “forego” $15,000 in employment severance payments but hasn’t coughed up a cent more.

Wilson spent big while her victim had to let other employees go.

Multiple Stosius Constructions family members told the court how Wilson’s offending left their lives in almost complete ruin.

The former company director thought his company was losing money due to his management before Wilson’s offending was exposed.

The court heard statements highlighting Wilson’s “greedy and heinous” offending which included “spending money lavishly” while the company teetered on the edge of collapse.

The victims also said Wilson caused fractured relationships between family members and other innocent staff and “loss several great employees” due to being unable to pay them.

Judge Gabriele Cannon said Wilson’s conduct “must be firmly denounced”.

“You were a long-term and trusted employee of the victim company who you knew to be a family company and who you deliberately stole from time and time again,” Judge Cannon said.

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“You were able to get away with your offending because of your position of trust which you gravely breached …

“The quantum stolen was substantial and the funds were spent on enabling a lavish lifestyle … you squandered significant amounts on yourself and gambling …”

Wilson, a grandmother who smoked three packs of cigarettes a day, is now a pensioner earning $1200 a fortnight.

Wilson, who appeared via videolink from Dame Phyllis Frost, was jailed for a maximum five years and six months.

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