Vanessa Rocha: Druggie defrauded estate agent with dark web docs
A former brothel receptionist and drug trafficker has again faced court, this time for forging payslips to illegally get a rental house.
South East
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A convicted drug dealer used fake work letters and dodgy wage printouts she sourced from the dark web so she could rent a home in Clyde.
Vanessa Rocha had been living in a car with her two dogs when she went to the hidden internet and asked someone to make up dodgy documents.
The unemployed 32-year-old then used the pretend paperwork, saying she earned $95,000 a year, in her December 2019 application to successfully secure a rental home.
She spent several months in the property before trying to get a rental reduction due to Covid, which was a mistake as the real estate agency became suspicious and re-analysed her application.
It was discovered she was a fake who had never worked for the company she claimed to have worked for and she was kicked out.
When the house was searched, police uncovered bags of ice, IDs in other peoples’ names, three electronic tablets and six phones, but she refused to give officers the passwords.
Rocha pleaded guilty to deceptions, drug possessions and failing to provide access charges at the Frankston Magistrates’ Court on Monday.
The court heard she had priors for drug dealing and has been convicted of fraud-related offences linked to scamming banks of credit cards and loans.
Defence lawyer Steve Parker said Rocha had been living in a car with her two staffies and was extremely desperate to find accommodation.
She said there were no issues with rental payments and no one had suffered financially from her deception.
He said there was no drug paraphernalia associated with dealing found at the property, although she would not provide a reason as to why she refused to hand over passwords for the devices.
He said Rocha had returned clean drug tests when screened and she was getting medical treatment for her mental health and substance addiction issues.
He said she had a stable home now with her mother, there was potentially work available, and a community corrections order would be beneficial for her and the community.
Magistrate Timothy Gattuso said while there was no charge for trafficking, with Rocha’s rap sheet there was an element of concern as to why she was not forthcoming with passwords.
“Failing to comply with directions can be viewed on a different here level due to her history,” Mr Gattuso said.
“Why did she have so many phones and not provide access to them, it raises suspicions.”
But he also said no one was out of pocket from her rental property crimes.
“There is a huge homelessness issue in the community, this is reflective of that,” he said.
“To avoid living in her car she created false documents, but she did continue to pay the rent throughout.”
Rocha was sent for a community corrections order assessment and will be sentenced on August 20.
