An Auckland man who tried to fraudulently claim more than $2 million through various Covid-19 government support schemes has been sentenced to four years and four-and-a-half months in prison.
According to a report by Stuff, Hun Min Im appeared in the Auckland District Court on Tuesday for orchestrating large-scale fraud targeting the Covid-19 Wage Subsidy Scheme, Small Business Cashflow Scheme, and other pandemic relief funds.
According to the Serious Fraud Office (SFO), Im attempted to claim $2.3 million and successfully obtained nearly $624,000 in taxpayer funds. He submitted 42 wage subsidy applications on behalf of fake companies and individuals, using forged documents and stolen identities.
SFO Director Karen Chang said Im’s actions were a “deliberate abuse of public money” meant to support people during a time of hardship. “He created a web of fake companies and forged documents to exploit support schemes,” she said.
The Ministry of Social Development referred the case to the SFO after uncovering irregularities. Cross-agency investigations later revealed fraud across multiple government departments.
MSD’s George Van Ooyen said I'm “took advantage of a high-trust system designed to help businesses and families in need,” Stuff reported.
The Inland Revenue Department also confirmed that I had previously committed GST fraud and used stolen identities to make false claims.
Authorities said the case underscores the importance of inter-agency cooperation to protect the integrity of public funds.