Man jailed for $525,000 tax fraud

An Auckland man extradited from America has been jailed for 3 1/2 years for tax fraud.

David Lawrence Marsters, 45, was sentenced in the High Court in Auckland today on 48 charges involving $525,000.

The Inland Revenue Department said he fled to America to avoid prosecution soon after the inquiry began in 2001.

The department applied to have him extradited and he was deported by American authorities in May last year.

After being granted bail in New Zealand he failed to appear for his trial on April 5, 2005, and a warrant was issued for his arrest. He pleaded guilty to the charges at a hearing last month.

The charges involved false input claims and misuse of documents. He also faced charges over a forged New Zealand passport.

IRD Auckland service centre manager Loraine Elliott said the jail term reflected how seriously courts viewed tax fraud.

- NZPA