Charges of dishonesty are profoundly damaging. More so than many other crimes, a conviction for fraud or stealing permanently impacts your ability to gain employment, hold a directorship, or secure financing.
Offences We Defend
We provide meticulous defence for:
- Fraud: Including corporate embezzlement, Centrelink fraud, falsification of records, and obtaining financial advantage by deception.
- Stealing (Theft): Retail theft, stealing as a clerk or servant (employee theft), and burglary.
- Receiving Tainted Property: Possessing goods that you knew, or had reason to believe, were stolen.
Strategic Defence
Fraud cases are intensely document-heavy. We engage leading forensic accountants to challenge the prosecution’s financial trails. We also heavily utilize the defence of an ‘honest claim of right’—arguing that you held an honest belief you were legally entitled to the property.
Protect your professional future. Contact us today .
Penalties in Queensland
Dishonesty offences under sections 408 and 408A of the Criminal Code (fraud, obtaining property or financial advantage by deception, identity offences) carry up to 10 years imprisonment - more in aggravated cases. Stealing scales with value, and “summary” stealing can still produce convictions that follow you for life. Employers, banks and licensing bodies treat any dishonesty finding seriously, so the difference between a conviction and a non-conviction outcome is often the difference that matters most.
How We Defend Dishonesty Charges
These cases are built on paper - transaction records, spreadsheets, emails and expert accounting evidence. We:
- Audit the prosecution’s maths. Amounts are frequently overstated; charges sometimes double-count.
- Test intent. Dishonesty requires a dishonest state of mind - mistakes, authority, and mixed motives are genuine defences.
- Negotiate early. Where the evidence is strong, early pleas with restitution can convert likely imprisonment into suspended or community-based orders.
- Protect employment. We frame submissions around non-conviction outcomes where available, critical for teachers, finance, health and licensed professions.
Should I pay the money back before court?
Repayment (restitution) is one of the strongest mitigating steps available and often influences charge selection. But anything you say to an employer or police while repaying can be used - get advice on the wording and timing first.
Can I avoid a conviction for a first offence?
For lower-level stealing or fraud where value is modest, courts can record no conviction under section 12 Penalties and Sentences Act. Eligibility turns on circumstances and antecedents - we prepare these applications carefully.
Related FAQs & Guides
- What are my rights when arrested in Queensland?
- Summary vs indictable offences explained
- Criminal charges: the full process
For advice specific to your situation, contact our Gold Coast team on (07) 5532 8777.
