A gambler who thought he could win big and pay back money he took from the Master Builders Association has been convicted of defrauding the association of more than 72-thousand dollars. Luke Lowes was sentenced in the ACT supreme court today, after pleading guilty to obtaining financial gain by deception.
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00:00Convicted, but free, Luke Lowe's was the events manager at the Master Builders Association,
00:08organising golf challenges and national awards, until another worker tried to reconcile the
00:14ticketing account.
00:16Lowe's had been channelling funds into his own accounts.
00:20Justice David Mossop acknowledged Lowe's didn't intend to keep it because he hoped to win
00:26and pay it back.
00:28Unsurprisingly, the offender lost the money instead of winning it back.
00:32When challenged, Lowe's produced a fake letter from the ticketing company, but eventually
00:37admitted to the crime.
00:39The offending is characterised as a gross breach of trust.
00:44Lowe's has since paid back more than $11,000, with MBA's insurers paying out more than $56,000.
00:52In a victim impact statement, his former boss said he had been a well-liked and respected
00:58colleague and there was a profound sense of disappointment.
01:03The fraudulent activity was bad enough, but the fact he went to extremes to cover up the
01:08fraud was even more disappointing.
01:11The court heard Luke Lowe's gambling became a problem in 2019, and he'd been hoping for
01:17a big win to pay back what he'd taken.
01:21Today he was ordered to pay the balance owed and to serve a two-year sentence in the community
01:27on an intensive corrections order with 200 hours of community service.