A prosecutor for IRD applied in court today for the information on the stick to be suppressed in order to protect the defendant's fair trial rights.
Judge Kelly made an order suppressing publication of the contents of the USB should anybody find it.
The man, who has interim name suppression, is back in court accused of committing nearly $120,000 worth of fraud.
The man faces 30 fraud-related charges in the Wellington District Court, with the offending spanning parts of 2019 and 2020, charging documents show.
The charges include dishonestly using an application for a small business cashflow loan, GST returns and income tax return documents to obtain a pecuniary advantage.
The amounts allegedly obtained total $119,104.31.
The Inland Revenue Department has accused him of using applications and documents in the name of multiple companies, including KMG International, NZ Software Consultancy, and ST Exports.
The maximum penalty the charges carry is seven years' imprisonment.
The man, who is self-represented, has pleaded not guilty to the charges and elected trial by jury.
He has applied for name suppression, and the application has been granted on an interim basis until the matter can be fully argued.
That hearing will happen in July.
The Herald has opposed name suppression.
