Client avoids jail for fake documents used to obtain loans

In 2019, our client’s home was raided by police officers in connection with a major fraud investigation into her husband’s affairs. During the search, police discovered a series of falsified payslips and bank statements in our client’s name and subsequent investigation revealed these documents were used to fraudulently obtain loans of $468,000 to purchase a property and $33,000 to purchase a vehicle. We considered the evidence against our client was overwhelming and advised her to enter pleas of guilty to the charges. We spent considerable time preparing for sentencing with the goal of keeping our client, who was a mother of two, out of jail. During the hearing, a critical argument we advanced was that the offences were committed by our client in the context of intense emotional and psychological pressure from her husband. Despite the State urging a term of immediate imprisonment, we were able to persuade the sentencing judge to impose a conditionally suspended imprisonment order, thereby achieving our client’s ultimate objective.