Michael Richard Smith, 41, also known as Michael Richard Weaver, Michael Richard Levertoff and Michael Richard Fresnell, has had name suppression for the last couple of years so the Herald hasn’t been able to write about him. He changed his surname to Smith in January, three months before he would begin his fight – which he would subsequently lose – against fraud charges… fraud totally about $700,000.
After a trial in the Hamilton District Court in April this year, Judge Robert Spear found Smith guilty of 21 of 26 charges of theft by a person in a special relationship, describing his offending as “cynical”, “deceitful” and “intentional”.
On Friday he appeared for sentencing, when Judge Spear jailed him for five years for his fraud totalling about $700,000.
It was at his sentencing, that Smith also admitted further charges – one of breaching the Companies Act by fraud and two charges of dishonestly using a document after clocking up $20,000 worth of advertising before his trial was about to start.
Other charges he admitted related to tax returns, the profits of which he diverted to his own pocket.
For full story published 29 July 2015 see:
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=11488867.
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