A woman convicted of forging documents to con a Queensland training company into believing it would win a $1.2 million Commonwealth grant has avoided jail.

August 6, 2019

A woman has avoided jail for masquerading as an aged care consultant to con a Queensland training company into believing it would receive a million-dollar government grant.

Michele Marsh, 61, pleaded guilty to two counts of using forged Commonwealth documents to dishonestly obtain thousands of dollars from Line Management Institute of Training (LMIT) in 2015.

The court heard Marsh produced a fake Department of Social Security letter and email to convince the company’s director that she was a member of the department’s aged care reform team.

She told the director that LMIT could become a service provider to a federal government aged care project and receive a Department of Social Security $1.2 million grant.

Marsh offered herself as a consultant to help implement a contract, with an agreement she would receive 1.5 per cent of the final funding amount.

The court heard LMIT hired Marsh two staff members at cost of $90,000 each and rented extra office space at $12,000 per month to help facilitate the project.

Marsh pretended to arrange meetings with the DSS but they were always cancelled at the last minute, prosecutor Grace Devereaux said.

Despite the grant never being paid, Marsh convinced LMIT to begin paying her, eventually netting about $30,000 before being discovered.

The fraud was uncovered when LMIT’s director became suspicious following 11 months of delays.

She emailed the Department of Social Services about the promised grant triggering an investigation into the fictitious project and contract.

Judge William Everson said the offending was deliberate and deceitful.

“The amount the collateral damage this defendant has caused law-abiding people carrying on their lawful businesses is not insignificant,” he said.

He told Marsh she was a convicted liar who had committed serious offences of dishonesty.

“You like to blame other people for your criminal behaviour … you need to accept that you are a liar and a criminal and you do not need to do that to survive,” he said

Marsh was sentenced in the Brisbane District Court on Tuesday to 18 months in prison with immediate release on a good behaviour bond.