An Auckland man has been sentenced to six-months home detention after fraudulently submitting gambling grant applications – seeking a total of $73,000.
The 24-year-old, Joshua Gilfedder, pleaded guilty in the Auckland District Court to three charges for accessing a computer system for a dishonest purpose, using forged documents, and altering documents with intent to deceive.
The charges were laid after an investigation by the Department of Internal Affairs. It found between April and July 2023, Gilfedder accessed Aotearoa Gaming Trust’s online grant application portal and “impersonated two community organisations” in four grant funding applications.
Internal Affairs said he also forged documents to give the impression he held management roles in the organisations.
The trust declined all four applications – and a complaint was filed with Internal Affairs. The trust said he did not obtain any grant funding.
Electronic devices seized at Gilfedder’s residential address during a search warrant revealed evidence of the offending, the deaprtment said.
“The community grants system is an integral part of the class 4 (pokies) system. Deliberate attempts to manipulate that system for personal gain will not be tolerated,” said Vicki Scott, director gambling, Internal Affairs.
Scott said the community grants system was an “integral part of the class 4 (pokies) system”.
“Our goal is to make sure grant funding goes to the genuine communities and organisations who need it, not into the pockets of criminals. We take the integrity of the grants process very seriously.
“We investigate all forms of gambling-related criminal offending, and we will continue to hold people to account where we see unlawful behaviour.”
Internal Affairs said any concerns or information about possible dishonest behaviour regarding class 4 gambling grant funding, should be emailed to [email protected].
More information on New Zealand gambling regulations can be found on the DIA website.
