A Melbourne woman who used wigs and sunglasses to trick some of Australia’s largest banks by giving her more than $260,000 from other customers has been released from court in a case compared to a “film script.” ‘.
Most important points:
Kristel Galvin-Samie impersonated others to withdraw large sums of cash and apply for a home loan. Steps to overcome addiction
Kristel Galvin-Samie, 35, appeared before the County Court of Victoria today, where she was sentenced to time served for the sophisticated scam that fueled her serious drug and gambling addictions.
The court heard that at the height of her habit, Galvin-Samie was spending about $1,000 daily on poker machines and phone betting apps and taking daily methamphetamine and Xanax.
She spent 260 days behind bars while her case went through the courts and will now have to complete a two-year community order and pay a $5,000 fine.
The County Court heard today that Galvin-Samie and her accomplices defrauded their victims by using stolen identity documents, including driver’s licenses and Working with Children cards, and then defrauding the banks.
Judge Michael McInerney said Galvin-Samie’s crimes involved “a pretty amazing crime.”
“It was brutal; it was substantial,” the judge said.
“I was stunned, to say the least… the behavior that could make up a movie script.”
He urged her to continue her rehabilitation.
“Mrs. Galvin-Samie, I don’t need to tell you how close you have come to further jail time,” the judge said.
“Because of the excellent steps you have taken in your rehabilitation over the past 20 months and the somewhat unprecedented steps as far as you have come off drugs…the court has decided to give you a chance.
“It should be very clear to you that you wouldn’t want to make another mistake, and I mean one.”
The scammer used a work role to obtain identity documents
Galvin-Samie was a customer relationship manager at the fleet management company FleetPlus.
In May 2018, Galvin-Samie went to ANZ’s South Melbourne facility with stolen identity documents from a FleetPlus customer and convinced staff to let her withdraw more than $165,000.
In July 2018, she took driver’s license information from another FleetPlus customer to apply for a $40,000 loan, which BankWest approved.
In October 2018, Galvin-Samie went to ANZ’s Box Hill branch, where she was captured on security footage wearing a blonde wig and defrauding $55,000 from the accounts of an unsuspecting customer.
She was arrested in June 2019.
The court heard that Galvin-Samie entered rehabilitation after her arrest and remained drug-free.
The court was told that she also wrote a letter of apology to her victims.
“I am here in court; I am deeply sorry for the pain I have caused,” the court heard her write.
“I realized I didn’t change; I would die or go to jail.
“Every day I’ve been clean, I’ve had to live with the guilt and shame of the impact of my actions. I’m truly sorry.”
