ATO employee stole to gamble

ATO employee stole to gamble: court
A tax office employee has been jailed for stealing more than $400,000 from the federal government by submitting dodgy returns for a football club.

Craig James Philp, 45, was the director of the Offshore Compliance Program at the Australian Taxation Office's Brisbane branch in 2002 when he started submitting false Business Activity Statements (BAS) on behalf of the Edens Landing Football Club.

The Brisbane District Court heard on Thursday that Philp had been the treasurer of the club since 1996, and was responsible for banking its cash takings and preparing its financial statements.

The court heard he developed a serious gambling addiction in 2002, and that he first depleted accounts owned by himself and his wife before taking club money to feed his habit.

Between 2002 and 2010 he submitted 95 BAS to the ATO, falsely claiming that the club was owed refunds totalling $443,827.

The club was actually only owed around $12,000, leaving the federal government more than $431,000 out of pocket.

When the ATO paid the refunds, Philp stole $226,650 of the money to pay his own personal debts.

The court heard Philp tried to take his own life when he was confronted about the fraud, but he survived with some permanent injuries.

He pleaded guilty to one count of dishonestly obtaining a financial advantage from the Commonwealth.

Philp was sentenced to four years' jail and will be released in June.