Lawyer sent for sentence over email legacy scam

John David Rangitauira. Photo / APN

A retired Rotorua lawyer has been found guilty of stealing hundreds of thousands of dollars in a bid to claim a non-existent $27 million inheritance offered in an email scam.

John David Rangitauira, 59, was found guilty of four counts of obtaining by deception after he became involved in a race to claim the millions for a client in 2007.

Rotorua District Court heard he and his client flew to Amsterdam and were shown pallets of money by their contact from a "Central Bank" which had first contacted the client by email. Rangitauira was due to earn $4 million from the deal.

However, Rangitauira later used $340,000 of money from the Maori trust Te Houoterangi Trust, of which he was chairman, and borrowed a total of $506,000 from Westpac Bank, to get the "Central Bank" to release the full inheritance - which never happened.

Rotorua Crown Solicitor Fletcher Pilditch said Rangitauira had used other people's money and lied to them about what he was going to do with it.

Defence lawyer Jeremy Bioletti in his closing address argued that Rangitauira had never intended to deceive the bank.

"The accused returned to New Zealand and borrowed money to, if you like unbond this money [clear the inheritance], to complete an overseas project - that was what he was doing.

"He believed that if the money was paid, that cash would be transferred to [the woman claiming the inheritance] and he would at that point be entitled to be paid."

Mr Bioletti said Rangitauira had no intention to deceive the bank.

"In his mind he was completing an overseas transaction. That's what he did. The only downside was that he was defrauded quite plainly."

There was no deception by Rangitauira against the trust, Mr Bioletti said.

Judge David Wilson, QC, remanded Rangitauira on bail for sentencing in the Auckland District Court on December 16. He also said Rangitauira could be considered for the restorative justice scheme.