ABC: Woman cleared of murdering adult children convicted of fraud offence

• She will not spend any further time in custody, with time served taken into account.
• The judge described Crabtree's actions as "sustained dishonesty" including social security fraud.

Maree Mavis Crabtree, previously acquitted of murder charges, pleaded guilty to three outstanding charges: one count of fraud and two counts of obtaining financial advantage by deception from the commonwealth. The offences included fraudulently receiving $12,000 in government payments for a daughter no longer in her care and $140,000 from a New South Wales support service.

Crabtree was sentenced to one month each for the commonwealth charges, to be served concurrently, and ordered to repay the $12,000. For the fraud charge, she was convicted but not further punished. With six years already served in pre-sentence custody, she was released and left court after sentencing.

• $12,000 government payments fraudulently received
• $140,000 support service payments fraudulently received

• Review claims for government payments involving Crabtree and her family for potential fraud indicators.
• Audit payments from the New South Wales support service to Crabtree between 2010 and 2015 for deception patterns.
• Verify address information provided by Crabtree to detect deliberate misrepresentations and false claims.

This case highlights the importance of verifying beneficiary information and monitoring for sustained dishonesty in social security and support service claims. Fraudulent claims can persist over years and involve deliberate misrepresentation of addresses and circumstances. Compliance officers should be alert to patterns of deception, especially when individuals have a history of criminal activity or are involved in high-profile cases. Effective controls and audits are essential to prevent and detect such fraud, ensuring integrity in government and support service payments.