Scoop has an Ethical Paywall
Director pleads guilty to SFO charges
Strategic Planning Group Director pleads guilty to SFO charges
Andrew Hrothgar Robinson (42)
has entered guilty pleas in the Auckland High Court today to
charges laid by the Serious Fraud Office (SFO).
Following investigations by the SFO and the
Financial Markets Authority (FMA) into the activities of
Auckland based company Strategic Planning Group Limited
(SPG), the SFO filed five
charges of theft by a person in a special relationship and
one charge of dishonestly using a document against the
former financial adviser Andrew Robinson in September 2013.
Today Mr Robinson pleaded guilty to all of those
charges.
Mr Robinson was a director
of Strategic Planning Group Limited (SPG).
Mr Robinson stole investor funds of
approximately $2.7 million to repay the investments of other
investors and to pay for some business and personal expenses
between 2010 and 2012. Mr Robinson also dishonestly used a
document by making false statements in various investment
reports to hide the true picture from investors.
SFO Director, Julie Read said, “The SFO is
pleased that this matter has been resolved by a plea of
guilty. The investors in this matter took appropriate
precautions and reasonably believed they were dealing with
an honest advisor. Unfortunately, this is not always enough
to protect people from fraud as has proved to be the case in
this instance.”
Mr Robinson has
been remanded in custody and will appear for a disputed
facts hearing on 2 June. A sentencing date is yet to be
set.
ENDS
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