A Kiwi fraudster who pretended to be a Polynesian prince and stole $21 million from Aussie taxpayers is set to be released from jail.
Hohepa Morehu-Barlow - also known as Joel - went from a troubled childhood in Thames to being the toast of Queensland's social set.
He told people he was Tahitian royalty but behind the scenes, he was financing his transformation with millions of dollars stolen from the state government.
It was later revealed that the finance manager used the money to buy a luxury waterfront apartment, expensive sports cars, lavish gifts for family and friends and more than A$600,000 worth of Louis Vuitton goods.
After two failed attempts at being released from jail he has reportedly now been granted parole and is due to be released.
Now 45, Morehu-Barlow is set to be released before the end of this month and will be deported back to New Zealand immediately.
Officials are in the process of organising his travel back to New Zealand and have told his family here to "prepare" for his release.
The convicted fraudster claims to be a "changed man" and referred to himself as the "perfect prison inmate" at his parole hearing, the Daily Mail reported.
Hohepa Morehu-Barlow says he is a "changed man" and told his parole hearing that he has been the "perfect prison inmate". Photo / Supplied
Last year letters between Morehu-Barlow and his mother were published.
In those, the criminal expressed his anger at being rejected by the Parole Board.
He also spoke about why he offended - telling his mother that he wanted to 'become someone'.
"I am the perfect inmate, a role model inmate. If my crime wasn't against the government I would be home already," he wrote.
In the letters, Morehu-Barlow also acknowledged the shame he brought to his family and asked his mother for forgiveness for his offending.
"I know now the most precious gift/item/things in life is not money, wealth, flash house or cars – it's people, particularly family," the inmate wrote.
Morehu-Barlow pleaded guilty to eight fraud and drug charges when he appeared in the Brisbane District Court in 2013.
His offending, the largest ever fraud against the state government, funded an extravagant lifestyle that made Morehu-Barlow one of Brisbane's fashionable high flyers.
He made 62 fraudulent transactions with a total value of A$16,690,067.57 to his private bank account between 2008 and his arrest in December 2011.
At the time of his arrest, police said they had frozen A$12 million worth of assets.
Crown prosecutor Todd Fuller told the court Morehu-Barlow's spending behaviour was "extreme".
"He used [the stolen money] to fund an opulent lifestyle, provide lavish gifts and support a persona he had created for himself as a wealthy Tahitian prince required to work to obtain his inheritance," he said.
Morehu-Barlow started work at Queensland Health in 2005.
He was soon promoted to a senior financial manager's role and his rank enabled him to learn how to manipulate the system so he could make payments that wouldn't be detected.
He set up a false business and forged documents, including letters under the state health minister's hand, to legitimise the transfer of state funds to his personal account.
Morehu-Barlow forged more documents for the largest of his fraudulent payments, purportedly for a dental building at a Queensland university.
Defence barrister David Shepherd said Morehu-Barlow was the oldest of six children.
Judge Kerry O'Brien said Morehu-Barlow's conduct was "the most serious breach" of the trust placed in him in his role at Queensland Health.
"This was an audacious scheme, which involved the manipulation of the grants scheme for ministerial support for charities and other community groups, to obtain an opulent and extravagant lifestyle [and] a way for you to ingratiate yourself to other people," Judge O'Brien said.
"Your dishonesty only ceased with police involvement."
