iKeep Bookkeeping | Payroll Manager Jailed for Fraud After Stealing $850K to Fund Gambling

Payroll Manager Jailed for Fraud After Stealing $850K to Fund Gambling

A former Brisbane payroll manager has been sentenced to seven years in jail after stealing nearly $850,000 from two employers to fund his gambling addiction.

Brendan Wayne Dodd, 39, pleaded guilty to two counts of fraud by an employee of at least $100,000. Brisbane’s District Court heard that while working at Vita Group Ltd, he made 99 fraudulent transfers, totalling $411,000, over two years and five months. After taking a new job at Fitness and Lifestyle Group in 2021, he continued the deception, stealing another $448,000 through false payments.

A police investigation revealed Dodd had gambled away approximately $560,000 at casinos and used some funds for surgery. His defence argued that a severe gambling addiction, triggered by anxiety and obsessive-compulsive disorder, drove his actions.

Judge Michael Burnett acknowledged the significant breach of trust and the financial and reputational harm to both companies but accepted that Dodd’s mental health struggles reduced his moral culpability.

Dodd, who has not worked since, has self-excluded from gambling venues and vowed never to handle money in the workplace again. He will be eligible for parole in September next year.

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