Detectives from the Financial and Cyber Crime Group have charged a 47-year-old Maudsland woman with fraud following a protracted investigation into the alleged misappropriation of over $400,000 from deceased estates.
Police will allege the woman used her position at a law practice to misappropriate funds while engaged to settle deceased estates.
Police will further allege, over a period of two years from 2017 to 2019, the woman withdrew funds for her own personal gain from a legal trust account holding funds for beneficiaries.
The investigation commenced in July 2021 following a referral from the Queensland Law Society.
The woman was charged with 10 counts of fraud and one count each of forgery and utter and is due to appear in the Southport Magistrates Court on April 26.
Detective Acting Senior Sergeant Kirk Bellotti of the Financial and Cyber Crime Group said police work closely with the legal and financial sectors and this investigation commenced after suspicious behaviour was reported.
“The outcome of this investigation demonstrates how seriously police take this type of offending and the abuse of positions of trust,” Detective Acting Senior Sergeant Bellotti said.
“Investigations of this type are often complex, and this investigation proves the commitment, dedication and skills of our specialist financial and cybercrime investigators to pursue and target professional facilitators to disrupt their ability to commit crime.”
