Jailed fraudster Andrew Robinson sentenced to further 12 months over SPG disclosure charges

Tuesday 27th October 2015

Andrew Robinson, a former director of Strategic Planning Group jailed in July for six years over a $2.7 million fraud, has been sentenced to an additional 12 months jail after pleading guilty to charges of making false statements in relation to the same business.

The charges followed investigations by the Financial Markets Authority and the Serious Fraud Office into the activities of SPG and SPG Investment Company No 1 that began in 2012.

Robinson was sentenced at the High Court in Auckland today, having last month pleading guilty to charges laid under the Financial Reporting Act, the Financial Advisers Act and the Financial Service Providers (Registration and Dispute Resolution) Act, the FMA said in a statement. Robinson provided a broking service without being registered, knowingly made a false statement in his application to become an authorised financial adviser and two charges under the Financial Reporting Act of making false statements in the SPGI financial statements.

He was jailed in July after pleading guilty to five charges of theft by a person in a special relationship and one charge of dishonestly using a document in May this year, in a prosecution brought by the SFO. Robinson stole $2.7 million of investor funds to repay other investors and cover various business and personal expenses, then made false statements in investment reports to hide the picture from investors.

Earlier this month, Mark Turnock, former company director of SPG Investment Company No 1 (SPGI), also pleaded guilty in the High Court to a charge brought by the FMA over making false statements. The charge was laid under the Financial Reporting Act over making false statements in 2008 and 2009 concerning SPGI financial documents, the financial markets watchdog said in a statement. He will be sentenced on Nov. 24.

BusinessDesk.co.nz

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