Woman from New Zealand Embezzles $200,000 from Job for Gambling Dependency Funding

In a notable case of fraud and restitution, Sally Anne Robertson, a 59-year-old woman from New Zealand, has been sentenced to five months of community detention for stealing over NZ$360,941 from her employer, SBA Civil Ltd.

Robertson, who held the sole administrative role at the civil engineering company, siphoned the money by changing the payment details on invoices billed to suppliers 37 times, diverting incoming payments to her own accounts. The stolen funds were used to fund her gambling addiction.

Judge Tania Warburton opted against a prison sentence for Robertson, instead sentencing her to community detention. During sentencing, Judge Warburton stated that Robertson's offending was bad, but she is not a bad person. The judge considered Robertson's stress and her seeking treatment for her gambling addiction before making the sentencing decision.

Robertson's lawyer, James Mahuta-Coyle, stated that Robertson was dealing with addiction that led to the offending. Robertson has repaid the stolen money in full, including interest and legal fees after a civil case. She has also sought and is currently receiving treatment for her addiction.

The case highlights the increasing understanding of gambling addiction as a complex behavioral disorder requiring treatment alongside legal accountability in the criminal justice system. When gambling addiction leads to criminal acts like fraud to obtain money for gambling, courts often confront both the legal consequences and the underlying addiction.

Handling in such cases typically involves legal prosecution and restitution, assessment for gambling disorder, treatment as an integral component, integration of rehabilitation and supervision, challenges in criminal justice, and restitution enforcement alongside rehabilitation.

The sentencing took place at the Hutt Valley District Court. The main shareholder of SBA Civil Ltd, the engineering company from which the funds were stolen, declared that the theft caused him and his family considerable stress. Robertson, during her community detention, can continue to live at home and go to work, but must remain indoors every night between 7pm and 7am.

[1] American Psychiatric Association. (2013). Diagnostic and statistical manual of mental disorders (5th ed.). Arlington, VA: American Psychiatric Publishing. [2] National Council on Problem Gambling. (2018). What is problem gambling? Retrieved from https://www.ncpgambling.org/problem-gambling/what-is-problem-gambling/ [3] National Institute on Drug Abuse. (2018). Principles of drug addiction treatment: A research-based guide (3rd ed.). Rockville, MD: National Institute on Drug Abuse. [4] National Institute on Drug Abuse. (2014). Treatment for substance use disorders. Retrieved from https://www.drugabuse.gov/publications/drugfacts/treatment-substance-use-disorders [5] National Institute of Mental Health. (2019). Gambling disorder. Retrieved from https://www.nimh.nih.gov/health/topics/gambling-disorders/index.shtml

Woman from New Zealand Embezzles $200,000 from Job for Gambling Dependency Funding