Matthew David Daly jailed after pleading guilty to more than 70 charges of fraud, forging fake documents for Covid-19 payments

Over the span of two years a 37-year-old man used the identities of friends, as well as those of unsuspecting victims, to defraud the NSW Government of thousands of dollars by falsely claiming Covid-19 support payments.

FOR two years during the height of the coronavirus pandemic, a Gatton man defrauded the NSW Government, as well as unsuspecting victims, of thousands of dollars by forging documents and bank accounts to falsely claim Covid-19 support payments.

Matthew David Daly appeared in Toowoomba Magistrates Court on Friday where he pleaded guilty to a total of 76 offences, including 57 offences related to fraudulently claiming the government support payments.

The court was told from January 2020 to January 2022 the 37-year-old used the names of friends, as well stolen identification details, to open bank accounts before fraudulently applying for the NSW Government’s Covid-19 relief and recovery fund.

Once the bank accounts received the funds Daly then transferred the money to himself and his friends, police prosecutor Senior Constable Chris Willson said.

Matthew David Daly, 37, appeared in Toowoomba Magistrates Court on June 10, 2022, where he was jailed for multiple charges of fraud and uttering forged documents.

“This was not a one off poor choice, as there was a degree of premeditation to complete application forms and return the money to himself and his friends,” he said.

The court was told when Daly was arrested on January 7, 2022, he was found in possession of a quantity of stolen identifications used to facilitate the fraud.

Through the “protracted and premeditated offending” Daly was able to defraud his victims of $7694, the court was told.

Daly’s solicitor Alysha Jacobsen told the court her client, who was born in Ipswich, attended St Edmund’s College after his parents separated, but was allegedly abused while at the school and fell into methylamphetamine use by the time he was 13 years old.

Ms Jacobsen submitted her client’s drug use escalated after he was involved in a serious car crash when he was 17, which left him with a severe back injury, which saw him turn to illicit drugs to manage the pain.

When he was arrested the court was told Daly attempted to escape police custody, with Ms Jacobsen claiming he did so in an ill-fated attempt to say goodbye to his partner, as he knew he would be spending some time in custody.

The court was told Daly accepted what he did was wrong, and entered an early plea of guilty, with Ms Jacobsen submitting he used some of the money to help his friends.

Magistrate Kay Philipson said the offending was sophisticated over a significant period of time, with “planning and premeditation” involved.

Daly was jailed for 18 months, with parole eligibility set at July 7. He was also ordered to pay $5103 restitution to two individuals who were defrauded during his offending.