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Filipina sentenced to 8 years in jail for Dh13.6M fraud from cruise company

A 53-year-old Filipina bookkeeper in Sydney, Australia has been sentenced to spend eight years in prison for stealing $3.7million (Dh13.6 million or Php187 million) from her luxury cruise line employers.

Mary Ann Abellanoza, 53, was working for Silversea cruise line. She was found guilty of siphoning off the massive amount of money between 2013 and 2018 by creating false vendors and diverting the cash into her own accounts.

She was sobbing after the sentence was read at the Sydney’s Downing Center district court on Tuesday, Nov. 5, says a report from news.com.au.

Abellanoza, who was arrested in 2018, swindled a total of $3,755,705.

Screen Shot 2019 11 06 at 12.30.20 PM
Photo credit: Mary Ann Abellanoza Facebook

A total of 236 payments were made to Abellanoza’s seven separate accounts at three banks.

Judge Jane Culver said Abellanoza’s actions had the flavor of a ”Ponzi scheme” as she continued the offending to cover tracks in respect of previous offenses.

Judge Culver also dismissed her alibi saying that she had gambling addiction. She added that the convict created a gambling account when she was committing the crime.

The judge also didn’t buy her letter to the court and that she had “genuine and heartfelt remorse” over the fraud ad wanted to pay Silversea back even if it took the rest of her life.

Judge Culver said the remaining amount of cash was not yet accounted for.

Staff Report

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