Law enforcement closes in on fraudsters with court convictions

Fraud cases prioritised and investigated by the Provincial Commercial Crimes Investigation Unit based in Richards Bay are yielding results, with two recent matters ending in convictions in May.

Richards Bay Magistrate’s Court found Elizabeth Oliver Randall guilty of 24 counts of fraud for charges that were opened in 2020.

The accused was employed as a bookkeeper and transferred R175 000 from her employer’s bank account to her personal account and created false invoices to mask the crimes.

She was sentenced to six years of imprisonment, of which four were suspended for five years on the condition she was not convicted of fraud or theft during the period of suspension. All counts to run concurrently.

Meanwhile, in a separate and unrelated sentencing, Rajendran Pillay, who pretended to be a dealer in used cars and took money for motor vehicles but delivered none, was found guilty on two counts of fraud and two counts of money laundering.

The matter was remanded to 2 July for sentencing, pending correctional service, and a pre-sentencing report.

In another case involving family members, Thandeka Thembelihle Mhlangeni was found guilty of defrauding her father of R1.3-million for his Road Accident Fund (RAF) claim.

The case was opened in Empangeni in June 2022, and she was last month sentenced on one count of fraud to eight years direct imprisonment and five years’ imprisonment on each of the four counts of money laundering.

Mahlangeni is believed to have taken control of her father’s bank account after he received R1.5-million from the RAF, and transferred R1.3m to and between her different bank accounts.

Sentences on counts 2 – 5 should run concurrently with those on count 1.

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