Court orders reparation in gambling society theft

A former sports organisation treasurer who pleaded guilty to 14 charges of using a document for pecuniary advantage and one charge of false accounting has been ordered to pay $8000 in reparation at $100 per week.

Henry Joseph Mackie, 52, of Whangarei, was also sentenced to three months community detention and 200 hours community service when he appeared in the Whangarei District Court today.

Mackie was the treasurer of Te Hiku O Te Ika Maori Rugby Council Incorporated when he used false and altered documents to obtain gaming machine (pokie) grant funds from the New Zealand Community Trust, Pub Charity and the Oxford Sports Trust.

Te Hiku O Te Ika Maori Rugby Council (THOTI) is an amateur sports organisation which applied to the gaming Trusts in late 2010 and 2011 for grants of $45,000 to fund or part fund their annual regional and interregional rugby tournaments.

Mackie was responsible for providing quotes and invoices to support the grant applications as well as paying the bills related to the tournaments.

He was charged with using his scanner, computer and printer to alter genuine quotes and reproduce receipts, invoices and bank statements with intent to deceive.

The caregiver and sickness beneficiary told Internal Affairs he had acted alone and the Board of THOTI had no knowledge of what he had done.

Gambling Compliance Director Debbie Despard said the Department works to ensure that gambling in New Zealand is safe, fair, well regulated and that proceeds generated through the 'pokies' benefit the community.

“We electronically track and monitor all gaming machine operations in pubs and clubs to ensure the accurate accounting of money and the integrity of games. We audit gaming machine societies and also have a team of gambling inspectors and investigators who work to ensure that gaming machine proceeds are properly accounted for. The proper accounting includes ensuring that grants approved are genuine, and end up with real deserving community and sporting groups. So far this year there have been six prosecutions involving the misuse of gaming machine proceeds.”

ENDS

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