Man guilty of 'deliberate and wide-reaching' wage subsidy fraud
An Auckland man has been found guilty of fraudulent attempts to claim millions of dollars through the Covid-19 wage subsidy scheme and other government support plans to fund his luxury lifestyle.
Hun Min Im faced 91 charges brought by the Serious Fraud Office (SFO) relating to attempts to claim a total amount of $2.3 million from four Covid-era subsidies, receiving almost $624,000.
Forty-two applications were submitted to the Covid-19 wage subsidy scheme on behalf of eight companies and four sole traders, with claims totalling $1.88 million.
None of these entities traded in New Zealand or had staff.
The rest of the claims were directed at the Small Business Cashflow Scheme, Covid-19 Support Payments and Resurgence Support Payments.
Im forged signatures and used forged documents when incorporating companies, filed GST returns to claim refunds his companies were not entitled to, and sought a further $172,800 in Covid-19 subsidies from Inland Revenue that he was not entitled to.
He was found found guilty on 18 charges of obtaining by deception and 16 charges of using a forged document, but prior to the end of the trial on May 13, he pleaded guilty to 54 charges of dishonestly using a document.
Three charges of obtaining by deception were yet to determined.
The money Im received was used to fund his lifestyle, including an apartment and luxury vehicle.
The case was referred to the SFO by the Ministry of Social Development following its own initial investigations, with further work alerting SFO to possible fraudulent activity against other organisations.
SFO director Karen Chang said Im's offending was "deliberate and wide-reaching".
"He created a complex web of fake companies and forged documents which our expert teams spent many hours piecing together.
"He stole the personal information of his tenants and applicants who responded to fake job ads he placed online, to use as shareholders, directors and employees in his companies."
'Mr Im took advantage of public money that was intended to support people and businesses during a time of significant stress and uncertainty. Any money he received was used to fund his personal lifestyle, including an apartment and luxury vehicle.'
Misappropriation of government funding was a key focus for the SFO, particularly in times of emergency recovery, Chang said.
Chang recognised the cooperation and support provided by Inland Revenue, police, and the Companies Office.
"The investigation was a great example of agencies working together to investigate abuse of public funds."
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