Boy From Oz star Luke Alleva pleads guilty to $30,000 TAC scam
When a cash-strapped musical theatre star hurt his shoulder in a car crash, he told the Transport Accident Commission he couldn’t work. But just seven days after the crash he was earning money again, while continuing to take government benefits.
North
Don't miss out on the headlines from North. Followed categories will be added to My News.
A cash-strapped musical theatre star has pleaded guilty to scamming the Transport Accident Commission out of tens of thousands of dollars after a car crash.
Luke Alleva, 38, whose theatre credits include shows such as The Boy From Oz, Funny Girl, Hot Shoe Shuffle, Saturday Night Fever and The Rocky Horror Show, collected more than $30,000 from the TAC when he failed to tell them he had returned to work.
Alleva also told the commission six times during a six-month period that he had no capacity to work despite being employed by up to 11 organisations before he was caught out.
At the Broadmeadows Magistrates’ Court yesterday, the father-of-two from Pascoe Vale South pleaded guilty to fraud and providing false or misleading information to the TAC.
Prosecutor Grant Reynolds told the court Alleva was entitled to loss of earnings benefits after he injured his shoulder in an accident on September 4, 2017.
But court documents showed Alleva was back at work seven days later — only three days after his TAC claim was accepted — when he received a loss of income payment of $1950 on September 11.
On September 19 he submitted a certificate to the commission declaring he had no capacity for employment after he had already returned to work.
Mr Reynolds told the court Alleva lodged six certificates stating he had no capacity to work and one declaring he had partial capacity between September 10, 2017 and March 30, 2018.
During the 200-day period Alleva received 15 payments worth $30,950.25 from the commission.
Mr Reynolds said once TAC investigators became aware of the offending they obtained Alleva’s banking records that showed 11 payments during the same period “consistent with employment”.
He argued the offending “wasn’t just a one-slip, momentary lapse” but was aggravated over several months.
The court heard Alleva initially denied the fraud when interviewed.
Defence lawyer Peter Ward told the court the former Emmaus Catholic College student and his wife of 16 years, Sabrina, didn’t benefit from a steady job like most people.
“In his industry my client has a number of sources of work and they’re often sporadic,” Mr Ward said.
MORE NORTHERN NEWS:
ELITE BASKETBALL HUB TO BE BASED IN BROADMEADOWS
BUILDING SAFETY BOSS: CLADDING ‘LIKE TOXIC WASTE’
CHARGES LAID OVER FATAL GREENVALE CRASH
“In this line of work, I’m instructed, it’s important to keep yourself relevant — today’s star is tomorrow’s forgotten person.”
He told the court Alleva — who also played minor dancing roles in Baz Luhrmann’s Moulin Rouge in 2001 and Dein Perry’s Bootmen in 2000 — made an average of $900 a week.
The court heard he and his wife had just launched a production company specialising in small to large musical theatre shows and entertainment for corporate events.
Magistrate Timothy Hoare said it was “serious offending” that clearly had a “financial motivation”.
Alleva was convicted, fined $3000 and ordered to pay back the $30,950.25 to the TAC.
Outside court he told Leader he was very remorseful and was looking forward to getting back to performing.