Tianah Jane Lynette Allsop pleads guilty to embezzling $38k from Murwillumbah Rural Fire Brigade

A northern NSW woman who emptied the bank accounts of her rural fire brigade while volunteering as their treasurer has faced court for the first time.

Tianah Jane Allsop (left) has pleaded guilty to embezzling funds from her own Rural Fire Brigade.

A former secretary and treasurer emptied her volunteer fire brigade’s bank accounts into her own for “personal and financial reasons”, a court has heard.

Tianah Jane Lynette Allsop, 27, appeared before Magistrate Nicole Ford at Tweed Heads Local Court on April 23.

The Murwillumbah mum pleaded guilty to one count of embezzling as clerk or servant after siphoning off more than $38,000 over 20 months.

The court heard Tweed/Byron police were notified of fraudulent activity in the accounts of a volunteer fire brigade on December 29, 2024.

Documents tended to the court said Allsop formally volunteered for the NSW Rural Fire Service for several years and her position for the last three years was secretary and treasurer for the Murwillumbah Rural Fire Brigade.

Murwillumbah Fire Brigade lost nearly $39,000 in the fraud.

The position was unpaid and voluntary and due to her position she had access to their bank accounts, facts state.

Allsop told the volunteer organisation board on April 9 last year there was $7000 in the transaction account and $25,700 in the term deposit account.

Police charged the mother of two with embezzle as clerk or servant.

The court heard later that year in November the board was told there was $5823 in the transaction account and $25,000 in the term deposit account.

Facts state the board said the RFS had made no purchases and the amounts should not show those balances.

On November 13 last year, a Murwillumbah member approached the bank to learn the accounts had since been emptied via approximately 20 transactions from the brigade’s account as an OSKO payment to T. Allsop, facts state. He then raised the alarm.

Court documents said police received Allsop’s bank statements showing two accounts, one from BCU Bank and another with CBA.

Once funds cleared in her BCU account Allsop transferred monies to her CBA account in her name, facts state.

Allsop emptied two accounts of her volunteer fire brigade while volunteering as treasurer.

Bank anti-money laundering authorities confirmed the accounts were not connected and the fire brigade said Allsop did not have permission to transfer the funds.

“Following extensive inquiries, police spoke with a 27-year-old woman at a home in Murwillumbah on February 13 where police issued her a court attendance notice for embezzle as clerk or servant,” police said in a statement.

When confronted, Allsop told police she started transferring money “about 18 months ago” and it was about “35 or 36 thousand”, facts state.

She told police she had attempted to contact the RFS to return some of the money if she could obtain a loan.

Allsop admitted to transferring funds between December 22, 2022 to August 22, 2024 in amounts between $300 and $1344 totalling $38,905.26.

The court heard Allsop works full-time earning $2700 a fortnight and pays $700 rent per week in Murwillumbah and has no criminal history.

Allsop is due to reappear in Tweed Heads Local Court for sentence on July 9.

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Originally published as Tianah Jane Lynette Allsop pleads guilty to embezzling $38k from Murwillumbah Rural Fire Brigade