Erin Jean Neilson stole thousands from a social club account when she worked at Tegel in New Plymouth. Photo / Tara Shaskey
Erin Jean Neilson stole thousands from a social club account when she worked at Tegel in New Plymouth. Photo / Tara Shaskey
A woman with signing rights to a social club bank account for workers at a chicken processing factory siphoned more than $42,000 from her colleagues to fund a drug habit and related debts.
When Erin Jean Neilson was finished with the account there was less than $5 left, leaving one colleague $10,000 out of pocket for an overseas holiday.
While Neilson has repaid some of the funds she stole from the Tegel club account, she still owes thousands. Last year she admitted a criminal charge of theft by a person in a special relationship.
The 42-year-old was scheduled to appear in New Plymouth District Court on Wednesday for sentencing on the matter but failed to show, prompting Judge Gregory Hikaka to issue a warrant for her arrest.
Judge Hikaka ordered that once Neilson was apprehended only a judge could consider her bail.
The police summary of facts said Neilson had been deceitfully dipping into the social club bank account in place for staff who worked in the packing room of Tegel in Bell Block, New Plymouth.
The account, which had been operating without incident for 30 years, was like a savings scheme for members.
They paid in regular contributions and could take money out when needed, often around Christmas.
Neilson was employed by Tegel, a major employer in New Plymouth, when in February 2017 she became a joint signatory on the club account, replacing a retiring signatory.
Neilson, 42, was due to appear in New Plymouth District Court on Wednesday but failed to show. Photo / Tara Shaskey
Once in the role, Neilson arranged for the social club’s bank statements to be sent to her work email without informing the other signatory, who previously received the physical statements.
From August 2017, a series of fraudulent transactions were made by Neilson from the account, the summary of facts stated.
Her modus operandi for stealing the funds was to ask the other signatory to sign a blank withdrawal form stating a member wanted to withdraw some money.
She would then take the form to the bank, provide the member’s name for the description field, and take a portion of the withdrawal amount in cash.
Neilson also made withdrawals using fake names and transferred money from the social club account to people not connected to the scheme for her own “personal business.”
Over time the frequency of the withdrawal transactions and the cash amounts increased.
The summary of facts said Neilson had a drug habit and debts that stemmed from her addiction that she needed to pay.
In September 2018, Neilson left Tegel but remained a signatory on the account and continued to conduct dishonest transactions.
It wasn’t for another three months - when a social club member requested to withdraw $10,000 for an upcoming overseas holiday - that her crimes were discovered.
The other account signatory went to the bank to check the balance and discovered there was only $4.47 available.
A complaint was made to police in December 2018 and a subsequent investigation found Neilson had taken around $42,536 from the account.
But the following year, an analysis of her personal bank transactions discovered she had used a $23,000 loan to pay out multiple members who had requested withdrawals.
She used her money because there were insufficient funds in the social club account, the summary said.
Neilson had also given $1000 to the member who wanted to withdraw money for her holiday, as part payment for what she had stolen.
Police believe the social club account is still missing around $19,536, of which $9000 is owed to the woman.
