Angela Stathopoulos pleads guilty to stealing more than $500,000 from Prahran Community Learning Centre

The Melbourne boss of a charity for vulnerable kids who stole more than $500,000 and spent it on jetsetting holidays, dance lessons and designer clothing “believes she is a good person”.

Jetsetting fraudster Angela Stathopoulos

A jetsetting thief who stole more than $500,000 meant for vulnerable kids and spent it on Miley Cyrus tickets, shopping and holidays did so for “self gratification”.

Angela Stathopoulos, 49, pleaded guilty in the County Court on Tuesday after she was nabbed stealing from the charity she ran for more than 10 years.

Stathopoulos, of Murrumbeena, stole $531,111.52 from the Prahran Community Learning Centre (PCLC) between May 2011 and March 2022.

She spent the money on a variety of expenses to fund her lavish lifestyle, from dance lessons for her daughter to trips to Disneyland, designer clothes and Harry Styles concerts.

Stathopoulos, who became boss of the charity in 2010, also spent more than $30,000 on petrol, and more than $128,000 on personal expenses such as clothing, beauty and Netflix.

Psychologist Carla Lechner’s report said Stathopoulos “knew it was wrong” but “could not resist an urge for constant acquiring of goods for self gratification”.

Stathopoulos flaunted the holidays she went on with stolen money.

Dr Lechner told the court Stathopoulos “believes she is a good person” but “constantly engaged in dishonest behaviour”.
When probed why Stathopoulos’ offending went on for so long, Ms Lechner said she was “addicted” to stealing and “providing herself and people with goods”.

“The first few times she would have had a few qualms about it …

Dr Lechner did not diagnose Stathopoulos with an addictive personality disorder, the court heard.

Mr Cameron also wondered why the fraudster could not buy goods to make herself “feel better” with her own money.

“She had the means to do this legally … By using her own funds?” Mr Cameron asked.

Dr Lechner agreed, saying she did have the means to fund her addiction to satisfy herself and others legally.

Dr Lechner told Judge Gavan Meredith she believed the fraudster would find prison “incredibly difficult”.

Angela Stathopoulos stole more than $500,000 from a charity designed to help vulnerable kids.

Stathopoulos’ lawyer Joshua Sheppard said the court could impose a five-year community corrections order (CCO) or a suspended prison sentence.

Mr Sheppard said Stathopoulos had shown remorse and had admitted to breaching her employer’s trust.

The court heard Stathopoulos had paid back all the money with the help of her husband, who runs his own gardening business.

Judge Meredith said “most people don’t have $530-odd thousand to pay back in savings”.

The court heard the couple, who are still together, sold one of their investment properties to help pay back the charity.

Mr Sheppard said generally those who paid back their stealing did not go to jail, with one exception.

His Honour also questioned Mr Sheppard’s remarks that Stathopoulos was of “good character”.

In his closing remarks, Mr Cameron submitted that Stathopoulos could have achieved the “positive feeling” through her own money.

The prosecution submitted that a prison sentence must be imposed.

“It’s clear this was calculated, it was protracted and she knew that it was wrong,” Mr Cameron told the court.

Angela Stathopoulos had been the boss of PCLC since 2010 before her offending came to light following a lengthy investigation.

The fraudster’s offending came to light after a lengthy investigation was launched by PCLC’s new chair, before she was eventually charged by police after forensic accountants went through PCLC’s finances.

She initially denied the accusations and told accountants her expenses were “legitimate” before she was unable to provide a proper explanation.

At her initial plea hearing in March, the court heard Stathopoulos put up “roadblocks” towards her colleagues to protect her fraud.

“She blocked my ability to get access to financial information, blocked me at the door from visits to the centre,” former treasurer Maggie Burke told the court last month.

A “traumatised” Ms Burke said Stathopoulos was spending money “on designer clothes on Greville St” while “she refused to spend money on the (learning) centre”.

The charity, which has since changed it’s name, suffered repercussions beyond financial loss including severe reputational damage.

The federal Government also withheld funds and Stonnington Council now defers any PCLC funding decisions to its lawyers.

Stathopoulos was taken into custody for the first time and will be sentenced at a later date.