YET another cruise industry finance scandal was laid to rest yesterday, with the sentencing of Lisa Maree Jeffers to a two-year custodial prison sentence. 44-year-old Jeffers, who was the Office Manager for Viking Cruises between 2014 and 2017, was accused of embezzlement, after an internal review discovered seemingly dodgy invoices....
YET another cruise industry finance scandal was laid to rest yesterday, with the sentencing of Lisa Maree Jeffers to a two-year custodial prison sentence.
44-year-old Jeffers, who was the Office Manager for Viking Cruises between 2014 and 2017, was accused of embezzlement, after an internal review discovered seemingly dodgy invoices.
A subsequent investigation coincided with Jeffers’ departure from the company in Oct 2017, and following a full audit the matter was referred to the NSW Police Service.
The Office Manager allegedly created false invoices to perpetrate the fraud, ultimately stealing more than $160,000 from the company.
Court appearance records for the case, number 2018/00325203, indicate no less than 13 hearing dates, with the first police mention at the Local Court in Hornsby, NSW in late Jan this year.
It appears Jeffers initially intended to defend the charges, but ultimately pleaded guilty at the 11th hour, on the day of the actual court proceedings.
Subsequently several court dates for sentencing were not attended by Jeffers, who was ultimately compelled to appear yesterday when she received the prison term.
The court also ordered her to repay $150,000 to Viking Cruises.
The sentencing follows two similar cases in the last month or so – one in which Mary Ann Abellanoza, the former book keeper for Silversea Cruises, was given eight years for an elaborate $3.7 million fraud (CW 06 Nov), and Susanne Hunter, wife of former Cruise & Maritime Voyages CEO Grant Hunter, who was given 15 months for defrauding $2.4 million from the business (CW 21 Nov).
