A prisoner who lodged fraudulent tax returns from inside the walls of Canberra's jail will spend more time locked up after a judge described his crimes as an "amateurish" attempt to glean undeserved cash from the Tax Office.
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Matthew John Millard, 33, netted more than $17,000 paid into his bank account from three tax refunds filed in 2011 and 2012.
He filled in nine tax returns with different names and fabricated details of work and tax withheld, which would have led to refunds of more than $67,000 if they had all been processed.
Details emerged in May last year of a tax fraud racket operating behind bars at the Alexander Maconochie Centre after prison intelligence got wind of the offending throughout 2011 and sent evidence to the tax office.
The ATO launched an investigation in January 2012, and referred the evidence to the Commonwealth Director of Public Prosecutions.
Millard pleaded guilty to nine charges of lodging nine fraudulent tax returns and was sentenced in the ACT Supreme Court on Wednesday.
In his sentencing remarks, Justice Michael Elkaim said while the offences were intentional, premeditated and happened over some time, they were "not the product of particularly sophisticated conduct".
"Rather they are an amateurish attempt to defraud the Commonwealth and obtain undeserved funds," he said.
"I think the offences are of at least medium objective seriousness. Had the details revealed a more clever process I would have increased the level of severity."
Justice Elkaim noted the offences took place over 16 months and said the offender had no other purpose than to make money.
Millard, who remains in custody for other offences, was sentenced to an extra 12 months behind bars.
He'll be eligible for release in September next year. The judge also ordered he pay reparations of more than $17,000 to the Tax Office.
