Maria Bento, a former property manager at WEDCO, has been sentenced to three and a half years in prison after admitting to fraudulently disbursing public funds. The sentencing took place during a Supreme Court hearing, where Bento was represented by lawyer Jerome Lynch, KC.
Bento acknowledged that between December 2017 and February 2021, she authorized just over $11,000 in monthly rent payments, amounting to less than 10% of the $117,000 owed. This fraudulent activity was carried out by forging the signature of her manager to facilitate a rent reduction.
In addition to the rent fraud, Bento accepted $16,334 in reimbursements from WEDCO, a former government quango. Investigators revealed that she deposited $10,000 into a joint bank account that was already in arrears for the same amount. Further financial misappropriations included $2,500 into a joint credit card account, $2,000 into a personal credit card account, and another $2,000 into an undisclosed bank account.
Bento faced multiple charges, including evasion of liability by deception, forgery, and obtaining a money transfer by deception. During the sentencing, Puisne Judge Juan Wolffe criticized Bento’s actions, stating that individuals who commit such dishonest offences exhibit a “deeply ingrained selfishness” and often feel a sense of impunity.
Mr. Justice Wolffe remarked that Bento’s behaviour reflected a troubling tendency to “bite the hand that fed her.” In addition to her prison sentence, Bento received a six-month suspended sentence for a second offence, with conditions set for two years.
The full judgment detailing the case is expected to be published next week.
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