KFC embezzlement: Gayan Amerasekera jailed for rorting KFC outlets out of almost $500k
An accountant concocted a secret recipe to cook the books at three KFC outlets in Wantirna South and Bayswater to the tune of $500,000 so he could fund a spiced-up life of prostitutes, drugs and high stakes gambling, a court has heard.
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A shonky KFC manager swindled almost $500,000 to fund an “extravagant” lifestyle of high stakes gambling, fine-dining restaurants, drugs and prostitutes, a court has heard.
Gayan Amerasekera, 41, was sentenced in the County Court on November 7 to a minimum 22 months’ prison after he pleaded guilty to theft.
Amerasekera was the area manager/bookkeeper for D & B Arnolda Family Pty Ltd – a company owned by his cousin.
D & B Arnolda operated KFC outlets at Knox City, Knox Ozone and Bayswater.
Amerasekera used his “full access” to the company’s accounts to transfer $484,147.58 into his own bank account.
The shonky accountant made 151 bogus transactions between January 2016 and November 2018.
Amerasekera fleeced the company even after he left his full-time position in May 2018.
His card was marked after a new bookkeeper joined the company and immediately discovered the bogus transactions.
Amerasekera was summonsed to a meeting with D & B Arnolda hierarchy in December 2018.
In a recorded interview, Amerasekera explained he stole the money because of a “bad business deal with a laundry business”.
He said a “shady company” was chasing him for money but he didn’t know who the company was and couldn’t pronounce their name.
Amerasekera estimated he stole “about $118,000”.
Not long after the meeting, Amerasekera copped to the theft but begged management not to report him to police if he could repay $2000 per month.
Management declined the offer and Amerasekera was arrested.
He admitted the stolen cash was to fund a high stakes gambling addiction which landed him neck deep in the Crown Casino high-roller rooms.
Amerasekera gambled away big money on a daily basis.
Crown would comp him hotel rooms which the degenerate gambler used to do meth so he could “recharge for another tilt at the tables”.
He also splashed cash on prostitutes, alcohol and fine-dining restaurants including Nobu and Bistro Guillaume.
Judge Michael Tinney said Amerasekera’s “pack of lies” to mask his reason for offending was a “load of rubbish”.
“You persisted in very elaborate lies,” he said.
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Judge Tinney was equally scathing of Amerasekera’s true motive.
“Tilt (gamble) as you like but this wasn’t (Amerasekera’s) money,” Judge Tinney said.
“You were propping up this extravagant lifestyle with other people’s money … you were using this money to live the high life.
“It wasn’t just some isolated act.”
Judge Tinney also lashed Amerasekera for his “gross breach of trust” that involved a “level of planning and sophistication”.
“You totally betrayed the company, the employees and your relatives,” he said.
“I am confident you should never be left in a position of trust again.”
Amerasekera was sentenced to a maximum three years’ prison with a non-parole period of 22 months.
He had spent 170 days in custody at the time of sentencing and will be deported to Sri Lanka when released.