Mother, daughter sentenced for fraud

An Auckland mother and daughter have been sentenced to community detention after admitting to defrauding the Ministry of Health of carer support payments of more than $40,000.

Lonili Lauaki pleaded guilty to 13 charges of using a document to obtain a pecuniary advantage; 20 charges of dishonest use of a document and 14 charges of making a false document to obtain a pecuniary advantage.

In Auckland District Court today she was sentenced to five months' home detention and ordered to repay $3600.

Her daughter Malia Lauaki pleaded guilty to 15 charges of dishonest use of a document and was sentenced to one month's community detention.

The charges related to false claims totalling $40,428.32 for two disability clients: Lonili Lauaki's son and Malia Lauaki's late husband.

The offending occurred between 2000 and 2008.

Both defendants claimed that various family members were providing care for their son and husband but that was not the case.

An unusual pattern of claiming caused the Health Ministry's audit and compliance team to investigate the cases.

Carer support is funded by the Ministry of Health and District Health Boards.

The payments are designed to assist the unpaid full time carer of a person with a disability to take a break from caring for that person.

- NZPA