Yahoo Finance Man busted lying to Centrelink 105 different times
A NSW man who had a yearly income in excess of $100,000 but pleaded guilty to lying to Centrelink has been ordered to pay back the money he fraudulently claimed.
Jason Todd Wright told Centrelink 73 times that he didn't earn anything, as the Daily Liberal first reported, and on 32 occasions under-declared his income – all to boost the payments he received from the public purse.
The Dubbo man ended up receiving $66,762 form Centrelink when he was only eligible for $21,507.
The 46-year-old cleaner's actions were eventually caught in 2016 by the government's data-matching system.
Last month Wright pleaded guilty to charges of obtaining a financial advantage from the Commonwealth.
In Dubbo Local Court on Wednesday, magistrate Gary Wilson convicted Wright and sentenced him to 12 months of imprisonment, able to be served in the community.
As well as paying back $43,510.33, Wright was also ordered to perform 180 hours of community service.
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