Wayne Jackson stole money that was meant to be destroyed
WAYNE Jackson was in his 50s and lived alone in a dull unit. But he soon found himself rolling in Rolex watches, luxury cars and lavish nights in fancy hotels.
WAYNE Jackson wanted to live a life of luxury and found it difficult to face the truth that he was just completely ordinary.
He was in his 50s with a balding head and lived alone in a dull unit in Melbourne.
Before that, he lived with his mother until he was 45.
He had a standard job at the Reserve Bank, where he worked for almost 30 years, researching and creating security features for banknotes and then testing them out.
He also destroyed damaged cash at the Craigieburn plant where money was printed.
The Herald Sun reports Jackson lied about his life to his colleagues and claimed he was married and lived in a luxurious bayside suburb.
After decades of living a boring life, Jackson soon found himself rolling in Rolex watches, luxury cars and lavish nights at fancy hotels and casinos.
The rise and fall of Jackson began in 2009, when he began pocketing money he stole from the bank.
He was a senior manager and he was trusted to destroy damaged or contaminated cash.
Him and two others had a key to a furnace and they all had to be present when money was put into it.
The tamper-proof bags filled with cash were locked in the furnace by the staff members with Reserve Bank of Australia padlocks.
The Herald Sun reported money was not instantly burnt and a security camera above the furnace was not working.
Jackson then came up with a deceiving plan to make off with the cash.
He replaced the Reserve Bank padlocks with his own and had extra keys cut for them.
When the two employees who helped him guard the money left, he would break back into the note printing centre and retrieve the bags of cash from the furnace.
Jackson stole almost $1 million between September 2009 and May 2012.
He spent almost three years living the lavish lifestyle he always desired, with rumoured trips to Monaco and France and splurges on luxury cars, including a $125,000 Mercedes-Benz.
He spent $100,000 on jewellery and gold and had a wad of $50 notes, equalling to $47,550.
Jackson too had an impressive collection of Rolex watches.
Jackson was careless and eventually paid a price for those incredible years of luxury.
He was exposed in 2012 when the bank became suspicious.
The Herald Sun reported one of Jackson’s colleagues found cash stashed in drawers in an abandoned office, cash that she had determined as damaged almost a year earlier.
A forensic accountant then found $600,000 appeared in Jackson’s bank account between September 2009 and May 2012.
In 2013 Jackson disappeared into hiding and did not turn up to his first trial that year.
He also didn’t appear at his rescheduled trial in 2014.
He finally pleaded guilty last September and has been sentenced this week.
Jackson was slapped with 199 days in prison, but instead of going back behind bars he walked from court a free man because he already served those days while he was in custody prior to his trial.
After he was found out, Jackson spiralled into a pit of depression and tried to kill himself and eventually received treatment at a psychiatric hospital.
“It’s appropriate that I not impose any further terms of imprisonment,” Victorian County Court Judge Barbara Cotterell said.
“Your lapse into offending after years of dedication in your career is difficult to explain.”
The Judge also told Jackson his riches made him poor.
“Exhibiting outward signs of wealth and prestige ... you have cost you the most important thing in your life, and that it your career,” she said.
Jackson pleaded guilty to one charge of possessing money reasonably suspected of being the proceeds of crime and one of dishonestly appropriating $47,550 belonging to the bank.