Couple mistakenly paid Aus$10.5m by Crypto.com claim they thought they had won a contest

A little while ago on this blog, I noted the mistaken payment case of Foris GFS Australia Pty Ltd v Manivel [2022] VSC 482 (26 August 2022). It has been a recurring theme of my notes on these kinds of cases that the recipients of mistaken payments not only must make restitution of those payments, but also that they run the risk of criminal prosecution. Now comes the unsurprising news that the key recipients of the money at issue in Foris v Manivel have indeed been charged with theft:

Couple mistakenly given $10.5m from Crypto.com thought they had won contest, court hears

Money from crypto exchange was allegedly used to buy four houses worth $4m, vehicles, art and furniture, police officer tells court

A Victorian woman accused of theft over a $10.5m mistaken cryptocurrency refund has been released on bail as she awaits trial, despite claims she allegedly tried to flee the country. Thevamanogari Manivel and her partner, Jatinder Singh, appeared by video link from prison in Melbourne magistrates court on Tuesday when they were committed to stand trial on theft and other charges. …

The Crypto.com account was in Singh’s name but the transfer may have been sent to Manivel’s account as he used her bank card to buy cryptocurrency, the court heard. Singh allegedly thought he won the money after being sent a notification from the Crypto.com app about a competition. This was also what he told Manivel. …

The money was allegedly used to buy four houses while $4m was transferred to a Malaysian bank account. The rest paid for gifts, vehicles, art and furniture, the court heard. … Most of the money has since been paid back but about $3m remains outstanding, with civil action under way to freeze the properties and get money back from relatives.

3 Reply to “Couple mistakenly paid Aus$10.5m by Crypto.com claim they thought they had won a contest”

There is more on the infamous Gao and Hurring here.

Update: 13 Oct:

No jail for Paddy Power worker who stole €67k after finding glitch in their machines

[He] … did not profit from his gambling and, because he immediately gambled the money he won again with Paddy Power, the company did not lose any money. …

[His] … actions also alerted the company to the fact there was a glitch in their machines and this has now been resolved, … [his counsel] told told the court. …

Sentencing [him] …, Judge Martin Nolan said stealing from an employer was a serious matter, but this case was “unique” in that the company did not lose any money. He handed down a two-and-a-half-year sentence and suspended it on a number of conditions.

Update: 06 January 2023:

NHS hospital staff told to return Christmas bonuses after being paid them by mistake

Kate Jarman, director of corporate affairs at the Milton Keynes University Hospital, said they had “made a bit of a mess of an additional shift payment” and they were “unpicking” how it happened.
…
Joe Harrison, the chief executive of Milton Keynes University Hospital, and Kate Jarman, director of corporate affairs, have apologised on Twitter.

Updates (8 March 2023):

More on the above story and a related case:

Bank error in your favour: What to do when mystery money hits your account

… Another story, which also happens to have come out of Victoria, is that of Dan Saunders. In short, back in 2011 Saunders discovered a loophole with his bank which allowed him to top up his savings account with his credit account and then withdraw a seemingly endless stream of cash.

Over the course of five months, Saunders used the loophole to spend roughly $1.6 million of his bank’s money before turning himself him. According to Saunders, he received a one-year jail sentence after which he was released on community corrections order. …

Another Australian case:

Employer owed $200,000 as restitution for overpayment

A former senior employee has been ordered to pay his ex-employer Scott Technology $262,884 … According to the company, Snowling was “receiving three separate salaries concurrently” when he was working overseas. … Overall, Scott said Snowling was “unjustly enriched” by salary and tax overpayments …

A few more headlines from the US:

Crookston woman leaves job after being overpaid more than $137K

… Irene Thompson had worked for New Flyer of America since 2011, making roughly $25/hour as an assembler. On December 30th, New Flyer attempted to deposit her biweekly pay of $1,126.60, but accidentally deposited $137,521.94 into her Wells Fargo account. … The court documents go on to say December 30 was the last time New Flyer has heard from or seen Thompson, as she abandoned her job.

Audit shows LSU football coach Brian Kelly was mistakenly overpaid by over $1 million in 2022

… Kelly was paid twice across the months of May and June before LSU noticed the discrepancy in November 2022. Rather than have Kelly pay the more than $1 million back to the program as a lump sum, LSU and Kelly’s LLC have agreed to a reduced payment schedule that will dock his pay slightly until the amount is recouped by the end of 2023.

Honda mistakenly overpaid worker bonuses, wants the money back

Some employees are faced with repaying hundreds of dollars … there is little they can do to stop the process. Honda is legally in the clear, as the Fair Labor Standards Act allows employers to recoup overpayments.

Alabama school workers told they owe $23k after mistakenly being overpaid for years

Oregon hospital is asking its employees to repay $2 million mistakenly paid in wages

Employees of St. Charles Health System are being asked to repay roughly $2 million after a ransomware attack on a global workforce management provider kept health system staff from accessing time card data for months.

State asks CPS to repay $87M it mistakenly received over 3 years

[Illinois] officials are asking Chicago Public Schools to repay $87.5 million the district mistakenly received in 2018 during the rollout of a new state school funding formula. …

And, a little closer to home:

State reaches agreement with landlord on €10m lease error on Department of Health headquarters

… The State has reached an agreement on an estimated €10 million overpayment for the Department of Health’s 25-year office lease, which will the see the tenancy extended rather than the money being repaid. It emerged in 2018 that there was a “mismeasurement” by the Office of Public Works (OPW) of the floor space of Miesian Plaza on Dublin’s Baggot Street before the lease began in December 2016 … the parties had agreed to extend the lease on Miesian Plaza by nine months at a nominal rent of €10. Given the State paid €8.25 million in rent last year, this would equate to it receiving an effectively payment-free lease term worth nearly €6.2 million.

CUH employee was overpaid by €416k over nine years

The employee, who still works at CUH, was paid €416,353 – roughly €46,000 per annum above their contracted salary. To date, none of the €416,000 has been repaid.

University of Galway overpaid employee €100k over two years

… The overpayment occurred between January 2019 and February 2021 and the university is “endeavouring to agree a repayment plan” with the person, according to the notes.

Eoin says:

11 October, 2022 at 2:24 pm

There is more on the infamous Gao and Hurring here.

Update: 13 Oct:

No jail for Paddy Power worker who stole €67k after finding glitch in their machines

[He] … did not profit from his gambling and, because he immediately gambled the money he won again with Paddy Power, the company did not lose any money. …

[His] … actions also alerted the company to the fact there was a glitch in their machines and this has now been resolved, … [his counsel] told told the court. …

Sentencing [him] …, Judge Martin Nolan said stealing from an employer was a serious matter, but this case was “unique” in that the company did not lose any money. He handed down a two-and-a-half-year sentence and suspended it on a number of conditions.
Eoin says:

6 January, 2023 at 1:02 pm

Update: 06 January 2023:

NHS hospital staff told to return Christmas bonuses after being paid them by mistake

Kate Jarman, director of corporate affairs at the Milton Keynes University Hospital, said they had “made a bit of a mess of an additional shift payment” and they were “unpicking” how it happened.
…
Joe Harrison, the chief executive of Milton Keynes University Hospital, and Kate Jarman, director of corporate affairs, have apologised on Twitter.
Eoin says:

8 March, 2023 at 11:59 am

Updates (8 March 2023):

More on the above story and a related case:

Bank error in your favour: What to do when mystery money hits your account

… Another story, which also happens to have come out of Victoria, is that of Dan Saunders. In short, back in 2011 Saunders discovered a loophole with his bank which allowed him to top up his savings account with his credit account and then withdraw a seemingly endless stream of cash.

Over the course of five months, Saunders used the loophole to spend roughly $1.6 million of his bank’s money before turning himself him. According to Saunders, he received a one-year jail sentence after which he was released on community corrections order. …

Another Australian case:

Employer owed $200,000 as restitution for overpayment

A former senior employee has been ordered to pay his ex-employer Scott Technology $262,884 … According to the company, Snowling was “receiving three separate salaries concurrently” when he was working overseas. … Overall, Scott said Snowling was “unjustly enriched” by salary and tax overpayments …

A few more headlines from the US:

Crookston woman leaves job after being overpaid more than $137K

… Irene Thompson had worked for New Flyer of America since 2011, making roughly $25/hour as an assembler. On December 30th, New Flyer attempted to deposit her biweekly pay of $1,126.60, but accidentally deposited $137,521.94 into her Wells Fargo account. … The court documents go on to say December 30 was the last time New Flyer has heard from or seen Thompson, as she abandoned her job.

Audit shows LSU football coach Brian Kelly was mistakenly overpaid by over $1 million in 2022

… Kelly was paid twice across the months of May and June before LSU noticed the discrepancy in November 2022. Rather than have Kelly pay the more than $1 million back to the program as a lump sum, LSU and Kelly’s LLC have agreed to a reduced payment schedule that will dock his pay slightly until the amount is recouped by the end of 2023.

Honda mistakenly overpaid worker bonuses, wants the money back

Some employees are faced with repaying hundreds of dollars … there is little they can do to stop the process. Honda is legally in the clear, as the Fair Labor Standards Act allows employers to recoup overpayments.

Alabama school workers told they owe $23k after mistakenly being overpaid for years

Oregon hospital is asking its employees to repay $2 million mistakenly paid in wages

Employees of St. Charles Health System are being asked to repay roughly $2 million after a ransomware attack on a global workforce management provider kept health system staff from accessing time card data for months.

State asks CPS to repay $87M it mistakenly received over 3 years

[Illinois] officials are asking Chicago Public Schools to repay $87.5 million the district mistakenly received in 2018 during the rollout of a new state school funding formula. …

And, a little closer to home:

State reaches agreement with landlord on €10m lease error on Department of Health headquarters

… The State has reached an agreement on an estimated €10 million overpayment for the Department of Health’s 25-year office lease, which will the see the tenancy extended rather than the money being repaid. It emerged in 2018 that there was a “mismeasurement” by the Office of Public Works (OPW) of the floor space of Miesian Plaza on Dublin’s Baggot Street before the lease began in December 2016 … the parties had agreed to extend the lease on Miesian Plaza by nine months at a nominal rent of €10. Given the State paid €8.25 million in rent last year, this would equate to it receiving an effectively payment-free lease term worth nearly €6.2 million.

CUH employee was overpaid by €416k over nine years

The employee, who still works at CUH, was paid €416,353 – roughly €46,000 per annum above their contracted salary. To date, none of the €416,000 has been repaid.

University of Galway overpaid employee €100k over two years

… The overpayment occurred between January 2019 and February 2021 and the university is “endeavouring to agree a repayment plan” with the person, according to the notes.

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Couple mistakenly paid Aus$10.5m by Crypto.com claim they thought they had won a contest

Couple mistakenly given $10.5m from Crypto.com thought they had won contest, court hears

3 Reply to “Couple mistakenly paid Aus$10.5m by Crypto.com claim they thought they had won a contest”

No jail for Paddy Power worker who stole €67k after finding glitch in their machines

NHS hospital staff told to return Christmas bonuses after being paid them by mistake

Bank error in your favour: What to do when mystery money hits your account

Employer owed $200,000 as restitution for overpayment

Crookston woman leaves job after being overpaid more than $137K

Audit shows LSU football coach Brian Kelly was mistakenly overpaid by over $1 million in 2022

Honda mistakenly overpaid worker bonuses, wants the money back

Alabama school workers told they owe $23k after mistakenly being overpaid for years

Oregon hospital is asking its employees to repay $2 million mistakenly paid in wages

State asks CPS to repay $87M it mistakenly received over 3 years

State reaches agreement with landlord on €10m lease error on Department of Health headquarters

CUH employee was overpaid by €416k over nine years

University of Galway overpaid employee €100k over two years

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