A woman from Jeremadra in Batemans Bay who received thousands of dollars in fraudulent funds from a victim of online scammers has pleaded guilty to charges at Batemans Bay Local Court.
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Sara Jane Louise Gardner faced court on Monday, October 23 and was charged with recklessly dealing with the proceeds of crime.
The court heard that between September 9 and 13, 2022, Gardner received a number of deposits in her bank account totalling $16,500.
The 49-year-old had been contacted online by a person who asked if they could put money in her bank account. The scammer asked Gardner to then convert the funds into bitcoin and send them back to him.
The victim, who lives in Queensland, began depositing funds under descriptions including "tax clearance" and "escorts insurance" into Gardner's account.
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The victim had been convinced by scammers that she had won a $50,000 prize and had to pay "clearances" into various bank accounts including Gardner's.
Police found Gardner made two deposits of cryptocurrency totalling $4000 before purchasing personal items and sending more than $7000 to her daughter.
Gardner's solicitor, Liam Wilson, said the Queensland victim was vulnerable because of her age but Gardner was unaware who the victim was.
"Money was deposited into her account and she recklessly used that money when it could've potentially been the proceeds of crime," Mr Wilson said.
The court heard Gardner lost her home in bushfires, had not rebuilt her home and had been living in a caravan on her property at the time of the offence.
According to police documents, Gardner told police she had forwarded the initial $4000 before deciding to keep the remaining money for herself.
She told police she had been suffering mental health issues since the bushfires and a subsequent marriage breakdown.
Police alleged she had shown "clear recklessness" and had clearly benefited from the fraudulent funds.
In court, magistrate Doug Dick told Gardner that some people "can't resist" when tempted by money.
"A lot of people are dishonest by opportunity," he said.
Gardner was fined $2000 and ordered to repay $16,500 to the victim.
