Two Victorians have been sentenced to similar jail terms for unrelated frauds against the National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS).
On March 20, a Victorian court sentenced Mumthaj Begam Kantara, a 60-year-old former NDIS provider, to three years’ imprisonment for exploiting people with disabilities from non-English-speaking backgrounds to defraud the social insurance program.
She was ordered to repay the $296,000 (US$210,000) she defrauded and is expected to be released after 14 months, subject to a good behaviour bond.
According to investigators, Kantara issued fraudulent payment requests against the plans of six NDIS participants, who are from Turkish and Arabic-speaking communities, between 2019 and 2022.
Authorities later discovered her illegal activities, leading to raids on her office and home by the National Disability Insurance Agency and the Australian Federal Police in 2023.
The NDIS Quality and Safeguards Commission (QSC) also issued lifetime bans on Kantara and her two businesses.
Kantara’s sentencing marks the 24th successful conviction for crimes committed against the NDIS since the federal government established the multi-agency Fraud Fusion Taskforce.
In an earlier case, Kim Michael Schubert, an employee at a disability employment services company, was given a sentence of three years and nine months for his role in a scheme devised to defraud the NDIS. He was also ordered to pay $40,000 in restitution.
According to authorities, Schubert provided details of 90 NDIS participants to a problematic NDIS operator, who later used the information to submit false claims for services that were never provided.
The duo then shared more than $190,000 obtained through fraudulent claims.
Minister’s Response
NDIS Minister Jenny McAllister said the convictions showed that anyone who abused the scheme will be caught and punished.“If you exploit people with a disability and try to defraud vulnerable people who speak English as a second language, you do not belong in the NDIS. You belong in prison,” she said.
“We’re disrupting and removing dodgy providers from the NDIS because Australians with disabilities, and taxpayers, deserve better.
The minister also noted that there has been an increase in legal actions against NDIS crimes.
“Warrant activity is up tenfold, more and more matters are being referred to the courts and successful prosecutions have doubled,” she said.
“As cases progress through the courts, we expect to see more prosecutions and jail sentences for criminals who think they can exploit the NDIS and get away with it,” she said.
Government data indicated that over 2,5000 problematic NDIS providers have been disrupted since the inception of the Fraud Fusion Taskforce. Authorities also recovered approximately $3.1 billion in NDIS benefits since November 2022.
Anyone with information about suspected fraud involving the NDIS should contact the NDIS fraud reporting and scams helpline on 1800 650 717, with an interpreter service is available at 13 14 50.
