A South Australian man has been sentenced to six years and six months in prison after obtaining over one million dollars in fraudulent GST funds, according to the Australian Taxation Office (ATO). The matter was prosecuted by the Commonwealth Director of Public Prosecutions following a referral from the ATO.
Shaun Both was the former owner of Metro Express Cafe. Between 3 March 2014 and 11 January 2016, the business operated on the campus of the University of South Australia. Both submitted nine quarterly business activity statements as the sole owner of Metro Express Cafe, knowingly claiming $1,001,004 in GST refunds that he was not entitled to. In late 2016, Both was forced into bankruptcy and had his assets liquidated to repay ATO debts.
Both pleaded guilty to nine counts of obtaining a financial advantage by deception contrary to section 134.2 and one count of knowingly dealing with money that is proceeds of crime contrary to section 400.4 of the Criminal Code (Cth).
“Not only did this offender gain an unfair advantage over other businesses, he stole money that is used for essential community services such as schools, hospitals and transport,” said ATO Assistant Commissioner Jade Hawkins.
In 2019, Both fled to remote Western Australia to avoid facing court on refund fraud charges in South Australia. However, the ATO tracked him down and he was arrested by the Federal Police.
“This matter proves it doesn’t matter where you try to hide, the ATO will find you and make sure you are held accountable for your actions,” said Hawkins. “We know most people do the right thing, but those who deliberately cheat the system will be held to account.”
