A Calderwood woman who allegedly defrauded and thieved more than half a million dollars from her former employer Harvey Norman has been identified.
Kerry Anne Dalton faced Port Kembla Local Court for a brief mention of her matter on Wednesday, after she was charged with 69 counts of dishonestly obtaining a financial advantage by deception and 55 counts of stealing property as a clerk.
Formal pleas are yet to be entered.
In October last year, detectives from the Financial Crime Squad's Corporate Corruption Unit established Strike Force Gundle to investigate reports of financial fraud and theft at a retail store in Taren Point, southern Sydney.
Officers seized documentation and electronic devices at the West Hoxton and Calderwood homes of two former employees, including 49-year-old Dalton, last December.
Dalton was arrested on February 22, with a 46-year-old male co-accused also charged.
According to court papers, it is alleged $594,000 was obtained from fraudulent cheques and stolen cash between August 2020 and September 2022, and EFTPOS transactions from April 2012 and July 2019.
Police will allege Dalton's offending started as early as April 4, 2012 when she is accused of using an EFTPOS machine to process a refund of $3800 to a bank account.
She allegedly doesn't strike again until 2016, when she is accused of using this method of fraud 15 more times that year, 14 times in 2017, and another four times in 2019 - with refunds ranging from $800 to $9000 at a time, court documents stated.
Police will also allege that between 2020 and 2022, Dalton sent tens of thousands to her male co-accused by raising Druin Pty Ltd (the company trading as Harvey Norman Commercial Division) bank cheques with dishonest particulars, causing the cheque to be banked into his personal account.
She allegedly sent the funds to him on 35 occasions in amounts including $8786.80, $10892.30, $11496.32 at a time.
The biggest amount Dalton allegedly stole from Harvey Norman was $22158.90 on March 29, 2021.
The court heard the case will be considered by the Director of Public Prosecutions.
Dalton's bail, requiring her to report to police daily, not leave the state and not contact any Harvey Norman employee, will continue
The matter will move to Sutherland Local Court where it is next listed in April.
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Grace Crivellaro
Court reporter for the Illawarra Mercury.
Court reporter for the Illawarra Mercury.
