JAIL TERM: Judy Lorbek went on a spending spree after a $2million Centrelink error. Source: The Courier-Mail
A CASH-STRAPPED mum was given two million reasons to think all her money woes were over when Centrelink mistakenly deposited a seven-figure sum into her bank account.
The Brisbane District Court was yesterday told Sunshine Coast mother-of-three Judy Lorbek, then 46, had asked the Federal Government's Child Support Agency (CSA) for an emergency payment of $2959.12 to help take care of kids on February 2 last year.
The payment was granted, but when Lorbek went to access the funds four days later she could not believe her luck when she accessed her account and discovered the $2,022,012 payment.
The court was told although the agency approved Lorbek's payment of almost $3000, a public servant had incorrectly typed in the day's date - 02/02/2012 - in the section of a computer form where the payment was to have been entered.
The court was told Lorbek did not think twice about an error having been made by the CSA and went on an immediate spending spree.
Commonwealth prosecutor Aimee Aisthorpe said Lorbek did not contact the CAS to check if a mistake had been made and simply transferred all of the money to separate accounts on the day she received the $2,022,012 payment.
Ms Aisthorpe said in the space of a month Lorbek had paid off the mortgage on her own home, organised extensive renovations, signed a contract on a new house in New South Wales and established trust funds for each of her three kids.
The court was told over the course of 280 financial transactions Lorbek withdrew a total of $120,000 in cash, spent $30,000 via EFTPOS and $10,000 on gambling at RSLs.
Lorbek also lavished herself and her children with expensive stays at resorts and upmarket hotels and gifts - including beauty treatments, clothes and fashion accessories and outings to movies and licensed clubs.
Lorbek, now 47, was jailed for six years yesterday after pleading guilty to one count of theft at Nambour, on the Sunshine Coast, on February 6 last year.
She will be eligible for parole after serving 18 months in jail and will have to pay more than $430,000 in reparations upon her release.
Judge Gary Long, in sentencing Lorbek, said: "The temptation for you to do this might have been great ... (but) no other sentence other than imprisonment is appropriate. The enormity of what you did was self evident. You acted quickly, if not immediately, to transfer the funds (incorrectly paid to you)."
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