Vanessa West, 32, is to be sentenced for a prolonged Medicare fraud she used to feed her gambling addiction. Photo: Louie Douvis
Vanessa West’s life was gripped by the addictive lure of poker machines.
Her biggest win, a little more than $2000, was sucked back up by the pokies within a day.
At one point, she was feeding up to $5000 a week into the machines, but was too embarrassed to seek help. The addiction cost her her car, almost saw her evicted, damaged her relationship, and meant she could only provide the very basics for her children.
On Monday, West, 32, broke down as she spoke of how her addiction led her to a serious and prolonged fraud of Medicare. She used her job as a practice manager at the Calvary Medical Practice to create false invoices in her and her children’s names, printing them out, deleting them, and then claiming rebates. West would be back at the pokies the day after the money was in her hands.
Overall, the fraud netted her $68,000 in a year and eight months.
“I did know I’d get caught,” she told the ACT Supreme Court on Monday.
“I just didn’t know how to stop the gambling.”
West later sobbed as she was sentenced to a two year sentence of imprisonment. She will only need to serve four months, and will then be placed on a three year good behaviour order to ensure she continues rehabilitation.
West had told the court she knew what she was doing wrong, but couldn’t seek help or tell her partner.
“I was too embarrassed to admit I had a problem,” she said.
“I thought the way I was doing it was hiding the issue and nobody had to know.”
West also taught her sister how to commit the fraud, and she has since been convicted for the crime. When investigators eventually tracked West down, she gave them a false name. The next day she confessed and told them everything.
“It was a relief,” she said.
“It was pretty scary to think … they had sort of explained to me what the penalties could be.”
West faced sentencing for defrauding the Commonwealth on Monday. The court heard she has shown remorse, and has insight into her problems. She has sought counselling for her addiction disorder and has not gambled since she first faced court.
West has signed an agreement with the ACT’s clubs that would see her kicked out if she turned up any time within the next three years. She is also seeking mental health treatment.
Report authors have deemed her at low risk of reoffending, with good prospects for rehabilitation. A psychiatrist’s report said her addiction was born of boredom and a need for companionship.
In sentencing, Justice Richard Refshauge? said the crime was planned, significant in its duration and amount, and represented a breach of the trust placed in her by the medical practice.
Justice Refshauge said the fact she taught her sister how to commit the fraud made it more serious.
But he also took into account her rehabilitation, insight, and prior good character.
He said her major depressive illness, her gambling, and her offending “wove a web in which she felt trapped”.
This, he said, moderated her moral culpability.
Justice Refshauge told West he had no expectation that she would reoffend, but said his sentence needed to demonstrate to the community the seriousness of her crime.
West will be released in September.