Craigieburn Secondary/Jacana Autism school scoundrel Leigh O’Neill pleads guilty to frauds
A greedy Melbourne conman bled two taxpayer-funded schools dry while he spent up on lavish purchases and premium GF tickets.
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A greedy conman stole $765,000 from two taxpayer-funded public schools including a specialist institute for kids with autism.
Leigh O’Neill, 43, pleaded guilty at the Melbourne Magistrates’ Court on Friday to multiple rolled-up fraud offences committed against two public schools.
O’Neill, who was initially charged with 199 offences, rorted a combined $765,000 from Craigieburn Secondary College and Jacana School for Autism.
O’Neill, who handled the accounts at both schools, stole the cash via multiple dodgy transactions between November 2019 and July last year.
O’Neill, of Attwood, altered accounting records to transfer the school’s taxpayer-funded operating money into his own bank accounts.
O’Neill kicked off his lengthy fraud racket when he stole $5249 via a bogus transaction in November 2019.
O’Neill, who worked for Craigieburn Secondary at the time, then kicked in his racket into high gear.
Investigators determined O’Neill’s fraud increased in amount and frequency and his highest single illegal transfer of $18,593 occurred in August 2021.
The fraudster’s offending against Craigieburn Secondary concluded by stealing $4123 in December 2022.
It’s understood O’Neill began working for Jacana School for Autism in early 2023.
O’Neill kicked off his rort at the new school by stealing $8440 in March last year.
Police found O’Neill’s modus operandi was the same at both schools.
O’Neill’s last dodgy transfer at the Jacana school was a $15,888 transaction in July 2023.
O’Neill stole $654,593 from Craigieburn Secondary and cleaned out Jacana to the tune of $110,171.
The allegations were referred to Victoria Police for investigation soon after, with Hume Crime Investigation Unit detectives charging O’Neill in January this year.
O’Neill, who has links to an EDFL football club, also boasted about purchasing a personal food van and posted images of himself in premium seating at the 2022 AFL Grand Final.
O’Neill, a dad, was placed on bail with conditions he remain at a static address and not leave the country.
O’Neill will face a pre-sentence hearing at the County Court at a later date.
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