Married couple Richard Kennedy and Charlene Gatt and associate Manbir Rooprai charged over alleged $1m NDIS fraud scheme
A married couple and their friend have been charged over an alleged $1 million NDIS fraud scheme.
Richard John Kennedy, 36, his wife Charlene Gatt, 31, and their associate Manbir Rooprai, 32, were arrested on Wednesday after a five-month investigation into allegations of NDIS fraud through an unregistered support service provider on the NSW Mid North Coast.
The arrests came after detectives carried out raids across the state on Wednesday — searching three properties in South West Rocks and Arakoon and a fourth in Sydney’s eastern suburbs.
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Kennedy, Gatt, and Rooprai were subsequently taken to Kempsey Police Station and charged with alleged fraud offences.
Police will allege that fraudulent invoices were submitted for services not provided to vulnerable NDIS patients in order to obtain financial gain.
Kennedy was charged with three counts of dishonestly intend to obtain a gain, attempt to dishonestly intend to obtain a gain, and deal in indictable crime proceeds (money/property worth more than $1 million), while Gatt was charged with one count of attempt to dishonestly intend to obtain a gain.
Rooprai was charged with four counts of dishonestly intend to obtain a gain, and two counts of attempt to dishonestly intend to obtain a gain.
Rooprai and Kennedy were refused bail to appear before Kempsey Local Court on Thursday.
Gatt was granted strict conditional bail to appear before the same court on April 10.
Investigations into the matter continue.
