- The ATO continues its crackdown on GST fraudsters with recent sentencings under Operation Protego.
- ATO Deputy Commissioner John Ford emphasizes the agency’s strong fraud detection and prevention capabilities.
- Sentenced individuals include former ATO employees and contractors who were dismissed after their involvement was discovered.
- Kim Orense received an 18-month sentence for dealing in proceeds of crime, with 10 months to be served and conditions for release.
- Orense lodged false business activity statements, receiving $214,011 in fraudulent GST refunds.
- Abigail Ussher was sentenced to 12 months, with 5 months to be served, for similar offenses involving $117,297 in fraudulent refunds.
- Ussher falsely claimed to run a crime scene cleaning business and transferred funds to personal accounts and associates.
- Former ATO employee Menuwarage Ranasinghe was sentenced to 4 months, with immediate release upon recognizance.
Source: miragenews.com
Note that this post was (partially) written with the help of AI. It is always useful to review the original source material, and where needed to obtain (local) advice from a specialist.
