A Sydney couple have pleaded guilty to defrauding the National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS) of $1.5 million through a criminal syndicate, reports The Sydney Morning Herald.
Alaedine Rifai, 41, and his partner Amal Hilmi, 36, were arrested in May last year for their role in the group, which netted the money by hiding behind registered NDIS service providers for people supported by government-subsidised disability plans.
Alaedine Rifai, who, together with his partner Amal Hilmi, pleaded guilty to defrauding the National Disability Insurance Scheme of $1.5 million.
Under the conspiracy, the group claimed payments from people on disability plans, or those managing them.
Last Wednesday, Mr Rifai and Ms Hilmi, who have a child together, each pleaded guilty in Sydney’s Central Local Court to conspiracy to defraud the Commonwealth.
They will next appear before the NSW District Court on March 27, when a date for sentence will be set. Both remain in custody until their next appearance.
Australian Federal Police arrested the pair in a series of raids across Sydney last year, following a six-month investigation by the NDIS fraud taskforce.
Investigators at the time said more than 70 people disability plans were defrauded by the syndicate, which sat behind three registered NDIS providers: Universal Group Australia, Reliance Disability Services and United Mission.
Mr Rifai was the sole director and secretary of Universal Group Australia, a kitchen joinery business.
