2017 letter Belle Gibson wrote detailing debts released
Cancer con Belle Gibson wrote a letter detailing how much money she owed in a bid to get out of paying a $410,000 fine for her scam.
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Belle Gibson wrote to Victoria’s Department of Justice to reveal her sizeable debts and escape payment on a $410,000 fine in a 2017 letter that has only now been made public.
The cancer conwoman who lied to Australians about her terminal brain cancer diagnosis to sell subscriptions to her Whole Pantry app and cookbook has not paid a cent of the fine, which was imposed by Consumer Affairs Victoria.
She claims she is broke and just last month had her Northcote rental property in Melbourne’s north raided and her assets seized.
In a letter released by the Federal Court and obtained by the Daily Mail, Ms Gibson describes her dire financial situation.
“I advise that I only have minor property assets to the value of $5000,” Ms Gibson wrote.
“I receive a Parenting Allowance that I am fully reliant on to raise my son. At present, I am not working.
“I am indebted to BMW Finance resulting from a personal guarantee of in excess of $50,000.
I have a fully drawn credit card with ANZ owing $30,000 and another personal debt exceeding $90,000, all of which I cannot pay.”
She wrote that her debts meant “I am not able to pay the amounts ordered by (Federal Court) Justice (Debra) Mortimer”.
Since failing to pay the $410,000 fine, it has ballooned to more than $500,000.
The Federal Court last year heard Gibson earned $16,000 in 2016 and $20,000 in 2017, but spent $91,000 in 2018 and 2019.
Lawyers for Consumer Affairs Victoria told the court Gibson spent $13,000 on clothes, accessories and cosmetics, as well as $45,000 on “discretionary” items between 2017 and 2019.
The court heard she went on trips to Adelaide and the Gold Coast, as well as to Africa and Bali.
It was also revealed she had been sending donations via GoFundMe to the Flint water crisis in the US state of Michigan.
Asked if she could chip away at paying the fine she incurred, Gibson replied: “No”.
Asked if she had considered bankruptcy, Gibson confirmed she had, but could not say how far those considerations had advanced.
During a previous appearance in the same court last year, Gibson was grilled over her use of a Sportsbet account, trading in cryptocurrencies and using Afterpay.
News.com.au last month reported Ms Gibson has been adopted by an Ethiopian community and changed her name to Sabontu.
Originally published as 2017 letter Belle Gibson wrote detailing debts released