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Court sentences the daughter of a former ATO deputy commissioner for central part in conspiracy while her brother awaits his fate.
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Woman gets 8 years’ jail for role in $105m payroll fraud
02 May 2023
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The daughter of a former ATO deputy commissioner has been sentenced to eight years’ jail by the Supreme Court of NSW for her role in a $105 million tax fraud syndicate.
Lauren Cranston, 30, had been convicted on two charges of dishonestly causing a loss to the commonwealth and conspiracy to deal with proceeds of crime from the Plutus Payroll scam.
The conspiracy ran from 2014 to 2017 and used a payroll processing fraud to divert PAYGW and GST liabilities towards the syndicate and away from the ATO.
Ms Cranston jointly exercised day-to-day control over the second-tier companies used to withhold money and underpay the tax, including laundering the funds through various bank accounts.
Supreme Court Justice Anthony Payne said Ms Cranston had failed to show contrition for the crime.
“There was no acknowledgement by Ms Cranston or on her behalf that any crime had been committed here, by anybody, much less that she was contrite, even in hindsight, for the dishonest taking by the conspirators of over $100 million of amounts that should have been paid to the ATO.”
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He said she had been a knowing participant in the fraud from early 2015 and had been a central part of the conspiracy.
Ms Cranston is the daughter of former ATO deputy commissioner Michael Cranston and her co-conspirators include her brother Adam and three others, all of whom are awaiting sentencing.
The syndicate was broken up by Operation Elbrus – an investigation led by the AFP with assistance from the ATO as part of the Serious Financial Crime Taskforce.
AFP Detective Superintendent Kristie Cressy said the money that should have been paid to the ATO from the second-tier companies was laundered for the personal benefit of the co-conspirators.
“This sentence should serve as a warning to anyone thinking of trying to defraud the government and fund a lavish lifestyle at the expense of honest Australians,” she said.
“The AFP works with its partners to actively target criminal syndicates who seek to enrich themselves to the detriment of the Australian community. Tax fraud is not a victimless crime and the consequences for committing these types of offences often lead to years in prison.”
Deputy Commissioner and Serious Financial Crime Taskforce Chief John Ford said the outcome sent a clear warning that tax cheats would be caught.
“This isn’t the case of an accidental oversight – this was blatant and deliberate fraud that robbed the Australian community of funds for important community services.”
Ms Cranston’s sentence includes a five-year non-parole period.
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