Facebook scammer Patricia Anne McIntyre jailed two and a half years

Serial fraudster Patricia Anne McIntyre has been sentenced to two and a half years prison for Facebook Marketplace scams while on parole for similar offences.

Patricia Anne McIntyre has been jailed again for Facebook Marketplace frauds.

Serial fraudster Patricia Anne McIntyre has been sentenced to 2.5 years’ prison for Facebook Marketplace scams while on parole for similar offences.

McIntyre, 52, was previously jailed in 2021 for running rental Facebook Marketplace scams, defrauding desperate would-be tenants of $26,000 during the Covid-19 housing crisis.

McIntyre was granted an appeal against this sentence, with a judge ordering she no longer had to pay restitution to her victims. Her initial sentence of two years remained unchanged.

She was on parole for these offences when she fraudulently reregistered one of her victim’s cars and began taking deposits from multiple people while purporting to sell the car online, again through Facebook Marketplace, from August to November 2022.

She had managed to collect just under $18,000 from nine victims before police arrested her on November 18, 2022.

Police prosecutor sergeant Brendan Newman said the victims’ ages ranged from 17 to 76 years of age.

“One of these persons, it was hopefully going to be their first vehicle,” he said.

McIntyre plead guilty to nine charges of fraud on Friday, February 10.

Mr Newman said McIntyre’s consistent reoffending had shown she had no remorse for her actions.

“Although she said she was sorry last time, she went out and did it again,” he said.

“In consideration of her persistent offending in defrauding members of our community, we say little to no remorse or proper insight has been shown.”

Solicitor Katie Paterson said her client had a difficult upbringing, including foster care and said McIntyre had been taught to steal from approximately eight years of age.

“She was exposed to and engaged in manipulative and deceptive conduct from a very young age,” she said.

Ms Paterson said McIntyre had been laid off from her job at an aged care facility in July 2022 due to her blue card being suspended and was too afraid to tell her partner of her situation.

“The offending occured in a situation of financial stress and the money was used to pay rent, bills and fund her subsequent gambling addiction,” she said.

“At the time of offending, she was going to the pokies at the Nambour RSL nearly every day and was also heavily involved on the Sportsbet application.”

Ms Paterson said her client, having been unemployed since mid-July last year, had no capacity to pay restitutions to any of her victims.

In sentencing McIntyre, Magistrate Matthew McLaughlin refuted the suggestion that the offending was solely due to financial hardship, as the court heard McIntyre had obtained employment three weeks before her arrest.

“Even when you did get a job, the scheme was working well and you kept doing it,” he said.

Mr McLaughlin said he believed McIntyre had no intention to cease her offending and would have continued without police intervention.

“You are a dishonest person through and through,” he said.

“Despite probation, despite going to jail, despite being on parole you’ve just continued this conduct of defrauding strangers.

“It’s really quite ruthless.”

McIntyre will be eligible for parole again on September 17, 2023 and Mr McLaughlin recorded convictions for all offences.

Mr McLaughlin declined to make any order for restitutions for victims.

Originally published as Facebook scammer Patricia Anne McIntyre jailed two and a half years