Christchurch woman admits to $290,000 benefit fraud over 15 years

Fa’alele Samoa Kaisami, a 49-year-old call centre operator, pleaded guilty to fraud-related charges in the Christchurch District Court on Thursday. The charges include obtaining by deception, using documents dishonestly, and using forged documents.

Kaisami admitted to deceiving the Ministry of Social Development (MSD) for 15 years, receiving $290,997 in benefit overpayments. The offending involved sole parent support, accommodation supplements, domestic purposes and sickness benefits, and temporary additional support.

The deception began in 2009 when Kaisami applied for an unemployment benefit while pregnant and married, but claimed to be single. Investigators found she never separated from her husband and lived with him and their children throughout the period.

The fraud included dishonest online applications between 2013 and 2019 and the use of a forged letter from a purported landlord named Michael Collins in February 2024. Judge Jane Farish has ordered a full pre-sentence report and remanded Kaisami until March 2027 for sentencing, noting that imprisonment is a possibility.

How it developed

• Fri 16 Oct, 11:10amLawyer Brittany Holstein confirmed that Kaisami will not pursue a previously signalled name suppression appeal to the High Court.

Where reports differ

• One report rounds the fraud amount to almost $300,000, while others specify $290,997

Compiled from reports by NZ Herald, Otago Daily Times, RNZ and The Press.