Joshua Leighton defrauded some of the most vulnerable members of the Canberra community out of hundreds of thousands of dollars, money he spent on brothels, pokies and bills, a court has heard.
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Between March 2010 and September 2013, Leighton, a tradesman, accepted money from employees of the Public Trustee of the ACT for maintenance work on properties belonging to the Trustee's clients.
Leighton, 38, has admitted that work was never done.
He would withdraw the cash on the same day and split it with an employee of the Trustee; 60 per cent to the employee, and 40 per cent to himself. Together they spent it at brothels and on pokies, the court heard.
The Trustee is a government body that manages the money of members of the community who are unable, for various reasons, to manage it themselves.
In July this year, Leighton pleaded guilty to 23 theft charges, a total of 116 fraudulent financial transactions and two goods transactions amounting to $675,734.
He was sentenced in the ACT Supreme Court on Friday to a total of four years in prison, with a non-parole period of 19 months. Justice John Burns described the crime as "truly disgraceful".
"While the modus operandi of these offences was relatively unsophisticated, you engaged in a systematic course of theft of large sums of money from some of the most vulnerable members of our community," he said.
"Your actions were planned and premeditated. Such conduct can only be described as truly disgraceful.
"I must impose sentences designed to deter others who may be minded to commit this type of offence."
The court heard Leighton had at the time of the offences been going through financial hardship, with debts from a failed business, and the circumstances had "got out of hand".
Justice Burns accepted Leighton was remorseful for what he had done, and he was satisfied the man had been going through a difficult time in his life.
"The Crown accepts that you were not the instigator of these offences, but you were nevertheless a crucial participant," Justice Burns said.
"Your life has changed significantly in recent times ... I think it unlikely that you will reoffend."
Three other people who are facing charges in relation to these events have pleaded not guilty, and are waiting on a trial date in the ACT Supreme Court.
Leighton is due to be released on parole in June 2018.
