Danica Lambatan, Patrick Ruiz: Oxenford pair charged with defrauding Exchange Depot of $275K
A married southeast Queensland pair who worked at a collection depot authorised to process refunds under the successful scheme allegedly siphoned cash into personal accounts over a two-year period.
News
Don't miss out on the headlines from News. Followed categories will be added to My News.
Two employees of a southeast Queensland container collection depot linked to the Containers for Change scheme have been charged with defrauding their employer of more than $270,000 over a two-year period.
Married Oxenford pair Danica Laine Lambatan (a.k.a. Danica Ruiz), 25, and Patrick Jay Dayanan Ruiz, 26, both had their fraud charge mentioned for the first time in Southport Magistrates Court on Wednesday, July 16.
Both defendants are facing a single charge of fraud by way of dishonestly obtaining property from another as an employee to the value of at least $100,000.
Only Ms Lambatan made a personal appearance in court.
Both defendants’ respective lawyers sought adjournments to August 14 to enable a brief of evidence to be ordered and for the prosecution and defence to begin case conferencing.
No facts of the alleged offending were read onto the record at this stage of proceedings.
According to court documents, police allege the pair defrauded their employer, Exchange Depot, of $274,579.80 between April 17, 2023, and June 11 this year.
The offence was allegedly committed at Exchange Depot’s Stapylton site, located at 3/63 Burnside Rd.
Gold Coast-based Exchange Depot, which is owned and operated by Hollywell pair Brenton and Damien Woolford, and eastern Victorian man Murray Webb, is a contracted delivery partner for Queensland’s successful Containers for Change scheme.
Damien Woolford told this masthead he was unable to comment on the allegations due to obligations associated with the Containers for Change contract that bar him from speaking to the media.
In a statement, Queensland Police confirmed they charged two people “following an investigation into a Gold Coast recycling business that was [allegedly] defrauded”.
“It is alleged a significant amount of money was misappropriated from the business into personal accounts which occurred between 2023 to June 2025,” the statement read.
“On June 25, a 26-year-old Oxenford man and a 25-year-old Oxenford woman were each charged with one count of fraud – dishonestly obtains property from another by employee [to the] value of at least $100,000.”
More Coverage
Originally published as Danica Lambatan, Patrick Ruiz: Oxenford pair charged with defrauding Exchange Depot of $275K
Off-duty truckie loses job after sinking four XXXX jugs before driving
A Gold Coast truckie has lost his employment after downing several litres of beer at a Harbour Town watering hole and getting behind the wheel on a suspended licence. Here’s what it’s cost him.
Family’s secret recipes fire up new Labrador pizzeria
A new Pizzeria has opened in Labrador.