Kyle Kepkey ripped off $1m from dad but wants early jail exit

A man who ripped off his own father to live a ‘Rockefeller lifestyle’ - blowing the cash on Uber, Tinder and games - argues he should get less jail time for this bizarre reason.

A deadbeat son who stole more than $1m from his father to live a “Rockefeller lifestyle” argued he should get less jail time because of the “family hardship” it caused his dad.

Kyle Kepkey argued he should be able to appeal his five-year jail term because the sentencing judge failed to take into account the hardship his imprisonment would cause to his father — the victim of his crimes.

He also claimed in his argument to the Court of Appeal he was not given “procedural fairness” in relation to that claim.

The 31-year-old was sentenced in the County Court of Victoria in July last year after he pleaded guilty to several rolled up charges of obtaining financial advantage by deception.

Kyle Kepkey stole more than $1m of his dad’s cash and spent it on Tinder, Uber and Deliveroo.

He cheated his dad out of $1,001,330 by siphoning the cash out of his account in 279 dodgy transactions between February 2017 and February 2019.

But despite admitting the crimes, Kepkey argued the judge who jailed him didn’t take into account the “additional burden” his imprisonment would cause to the man he stole from.

The Court of Appeal rejected his application to be granted leave to appeal because the grounds were “not reasonably arguable”.

“I am of the opinion that there is no reasonable prospect that the Court of Appeal would impose a less severe sentence than the sentence imposed by the judge,” Justice Emilios Kyrou wrote.

Kepkey was discovered when his dad went to withdraw money from an ATM and found he had “insufficient funds”.

He had just $19.34 left in his bank account and reported the matter to police.

“It was all just out of selfishness,” Kepkey told police officers when questioned.

“Living the Rockefeller lifestyle on someone else’s dime.”

The cash went on his friends, girlfriends and drug dealers, according to court documents.

Kyle Kepkey’s dad only discovered his son’s crimes when he went to withdraw money from an ATM and was told he had “insufficient funds”. Facebook.

Kepkey blew $2695 on Deliveroo food deliveries, up to $15,000 on Uber trips, $2100 on Tinder and spent $286,523 on “random” purchases using PayPal.

He also gifted his best friend $12,000 for his wedding.

His crimes started after his dad moved to Melbourne after selling his property in NSW for more than $1.2m.

The victim was “careful” and “frugal” with his spending, and believed he could live off $70,000 per year after selling his property.

Kepkey will be eligible for parole after spending three years behind bars.