A Filipino consultant has admitted defrauding the troubled National Disability Insurance Scheme out of $230,000 intended for vulnerable Aussies while he was living overseas.
Ryogie Tumandao, 30, of Wier Views in Melbourne’s west, faced the County Court on Friday after pleading guilty to three counts of dishonestly obtaining a financial advantage, one of causing a loss to a Commonwealth entity, and another of dealing with proceeds of crime.
Judge Michael Cahill told Tumandao he was likely to be jailed over the fraud, but allowed him to walk free on bail so he can take his wife to a medical appointment and undergo a psychiatric evaluation before sentencing.
The court heard that between 2019 and 2020 Tumandao carried out his crimes while working for two private businesses that provided NDIS services.
He used an online portal to change the businesses’ bank account details to his own, and take money for services never provided to vulnerable participants, 9News reported.
Tumandao claimed a total of $228,931, and the court heard most of the money was stolen while he was living in the Philippines. Investigators were unable to determine who submitted claims for another $9,708 he received.
One patient, whose name Tumandao used during his scam, suffers from polio and read a short victim impact statement to the court, the Herald Sun reported.
“I’ve been affected with polio disability which I’ve been suffering with for many years. That person never provided service to me,” the patient said.
The court heard the offending undermined genuine NDIS provider businesses and disrupted operations, and the National Disability Insurance Agency said in a statement it had “zero tolerance for fraud committed against NDIS participants”.
“We’re making the NDIS stronger every day, to stop exploitation of individuals and to make sure every NDIS dollar goes to help participants,” a spokesperson said.
Tumandao will appear in court again in October.
Header image: Left, right, Tumandao outside court (9News).
