'No money left: Man stole $220k in three months to fund online bets

A Tasmanian man has been sentenced to jail for stealing more than $220,000 from his employer in just three months to fuel an online gambling addiction. Christopher Lee William Ford Brown, an administration officer at industry advocacy body Salmon Tasmania, created false bank account details to process fraudulent payments.

Brown pleaded guilty to 20 offenses, including 15 counts of fraud. The Supreme Court in Hobart sentenced him to six months in jail, with the rest of his sentence suspended. He admitted to police that he had stolen the money because "there was no money left."

The court heard that Brown transferred the stolen funds to his online gambling accounts with Sportsbet, Neds, and Bet365, as well as through in-person gambling at TAB outlets. He also opened a bank account named "Sam Tasmania" in an attempt to deposit winnings and repay the organization.

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You had always intended to win back and repay what you had taken, but that never eventuated.

Four months into his employment, Brown disclosed his actions to Salmon Tasmania's chief executive officer. Following his termination and an audit by KPMG, the matter was referred to Tasmania Police. Insurer AIG indemnified Salmon Tasmania for the loss, and the court ordered Brown to repay AIG.

This was the third time Brown had been sentenced for dishonesty offenses, all linked to his gambling addiction. He has since self-excluded from all forms of online gambling and is receiving treatment and counseling for attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), which the court noted made him "particularly vulnerable" to gambling. Chief Justice Chris Shanahan acknowledged Brown's self-disclosure as a mitigating factor but stressed the seriousness of the offense and the significant sum of money involved.

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Your offending was serious as it involved a significant sum of money. It was a gross brea