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Victoria, (TIE Australia). A Victorian man has been sentenced to jail for rorting the National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS) of more than $300,000 by billing the provider for fake lawn mowing services.
A county court judge described Mitchell Landry as an isolated, impulsive young man who thought having more money would impress people.
The 23-year-old from Ocean Grove partially blamed his crimes on recovering from a gastric band operation after years of being bullied for his weight.
Over a four month period in 2018, Mitchell Landry accessed the accounts of 24 participants in the NDIS, including people living in NSW.
He created fake bookings for “house and yard maintenance” that the participants never requested – and he never actually did the work.
Landry billed the NDIS and collected more than $342,000, using the cash to buy three houses in Bendigo and a Mercedes vehicle.
The unemployed man was busted when someone tipped off the disability provider about his suspicious claims.
At the time of his offending, Landry was already on a Community Corrections Order (CCO) for scamming the Transport Accident Commission of $25,000, and Australia Post – by falsely claiming insurance for items he pretended had been lost.
Mitchell Landry received a discount on his sentence because he has autism, and the fact he has repaid all the money he stole.
He was jailed for three years but will be released after serving 16 months when he will then be put on a good behaviour bond.
