A former escort who ran an elaborate $7 million Medicare fraud empire spent hundreds of thousands of dollars in taxpayer money at luxury goods stores including Louis Vuitton and Fendi.
Paolo Vincent Esmaquel, 38, who also goes by the name Angela, used her(sic) IT skills to hack into the Medicare system and steal the money over just seven months, despite being in the grips of a major drug addiction.
On Friday, the County Court of Victoria heard Esmaquel was struggling with gender dysphoria and finding work following her(sic) transition when she(sic) developed the elaborate scheme, using the genuine accounts of 147 Australians to funnel fake claims into bank accounts she controlled.
Maidment sentenced Esmaquel to five years and four months jail, with a non-parole period of three years and four months.
Shorten said the Commonwealth had robust capabilities to stop devious, organised criminals in their tracks.
“The numbers here speak for themselves. This person thought they were a step ahead and that they could take Australia’s healthcare institution for an $7.5 million ride,” he said.
[Ed: male crime being falsely attributed to women – when will it stop?]
Source: Escort hacked Medicare to steal $7m, then spent it at Louis Vuitton and Fendi