Ex-Defence Force Employee Sentenced For Fraud

A former defence force administrator has been sentenced to 12 months’ home detention and 250 hours of community work for stealing funds managed by the New Zealand Defence Force (NZDF) while she was employed by the organisation.

Paniparewhakaro Elizabeth Rangiuia (60) embezzled approximately $225,000 over seven years from accounts holding funds raised by NZDF members for the health, wellbeing and retention of army personnel.

Ms Rangiuia was sentenced today in the Palmerston North District Court. She had pleaded guilty previously to one representative charge of ‘Theft by person in a special relationship’ and one representative charge of ‘False accounting’ brought by the Serious Fraud Office.

The Director of the SFO, Julie Read, said, “Ms Rangiuia abused her position of trust to steal a significant amount of charitable funds while she was employed at Waiouru. The defendant stole the funds which were raised by army personnel for her own benefit, spending most of the money on gambling. This was not spur of the moment offending but a course of conduct which continued over years.”

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