Slap on the hand for stealing $200,000 from taxpayers

Stuff reports:

A nurse who defrauded the Ministry of Social Developmen (MSD) of over $200,000 has been suspended from the profession for nine months.

Nine months is pretty light, but that is not the part that annoys me.

Ms Y had received a domestic purposes benefit for nearly 20 years, but signed various declarations that her circumstances had not changed over that time.

As a result of an Inland Revenue match, it was found Ms Y had been employed by Healthcare NZ from September 1, 2007, and NZ Nursing from October 6, 2015. She had not informed the ministry of the changes in her circumstances.

The ministry also discovered she had noted someone as her partner on her employment documents. Inquiries found she had been living in a marriage-type relationship from 2008.

So for 15 years she lied about not having a job and for 14 years she lied about not being in a relationship, stealing $200,000 from taxpayers.

Ms Y was convicted of 20 charges, but Judge Jane Farish did not impose a sentence on her and granted her permanent name suppression.

This is the appalling part. She got name suppression and no consequences from the judicial system.