Finance chief 'swindled $7m' to fund gambling addiction: police

Emma Partridge

Accused: Jason Graham Boatwright was arrested in Los Angeles after a three-year manhunt.

It took a few clicks of a mouse for a Sydney finance director to steal more than $7 million from his company, and another 86 for him to gamble most of it away, police will allege.

After a three-year global manhunt, what little luck Jason Graham Boatwright had left finally ran out.

The former epay Australia employee was arrested in Los Angeles last week with the help of NSW Police, the FBI and Fraud Risk Management Service. 

He finally arrived home on Saturday morning, and walked out of Sydney International Airport flanked by two officers.

Mr Boatwright was refused bail before Parramatta Bail Court on Saturday after he was charged with nine counts of dishonestly obtaining financial advantage by deception. 

The 38-year-old is also wanted in Britain for allegedly defrauding Red Bull during his employment in London.  

Police will allege the high roller began swindling money from epay just days after it put him in charge of all its finances and payroll in February 2011.

The company provides an electronic payment service to more than 23,000 Australian retailers.

Court documents allege Mr Boatwright began his stealing spree by writing three epay Australia company cheques to the value of $138,475.

He then deposited the cheques into his personal Westpac bank account without detection.

He then transferred $9865 through the company's payroll system straight into his regular bank account.

Police will allege these thefts were just an entree before Mr Boatwright went back to the company's coffers for a multimillion-dollar main course.

Court documents allege the former employee organised for five fraudulent electronic transfers totalling $7,120,769 to go into his personal bank account.

Police say he was able to do this by getting an authorised signatory to approve the payment of accounts to regular suppliers.

On each of the payment documents, the accused included his personal bank account details instead of the supplier's correct details.

The money was transferred in five lots between May 9 and October 31, 2011.

But he did not hold on to the money for long.

Documents obtained from online betting agency Centrebet showed Mr Boatwright gambled and lost more than $5 million between June 7 and November 5.

Banking records reveal that the money was moved in 86 transactions from his Westpac account to Centrebet via debit card purchase.

After losing millions, police allege Mr Boatwright panicked and transferred $300,000 from his ANZ account to the Venetian Hotel in Las Vegas, Nevada, on November 15.

The following day he did not show up for work and immigration records confirm he flew out of Sydney to the US.

When he arrived in Las Vegas, he took another $310,000 from his Westpac account in six transactions made at the Venetian Hotel.

An epay Australia spokeswoman said the company was "pleased" to learn about the former finance director's arrest and pending court appearance.

Mr Boatwright is expected to appear before Central Local Court in late January.

http://www.smh.com.au/nsw/finance-chief-swindled-7m-to-fund-gambling-addiction-police-20150117-12s14i.html