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Wage subsidy cases in the courts

MSD is committed to pursuing criminal and civil prosecutions to recover wage subsidy funds where necessary.We have a pipeline of wage subsidy cases that are currently before the courts. Here are the cases we have taken through the courts to sentencing in recent months.

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15 December 2025

An Auckland man was sentenced to six months community detention and nine months supervision in the Waitakere District Court after making fraudulent Wage Subsidy Scheme applications.

10 December 2025

A Christchurch man has been sentenced to 8 months home detention in the Taupō District Court after fraudulently obtaining more than $41,000 through the COVID-19 Wage Subsidy Scheme.

21 November 2025

Imprisonment and home detention for major Wage Subsidy fraud

5 November 2025

An Auckland man has been sentenced to home detention after making a number of fraudulent applications under the Wage Subsidy Scheme.

5 November 2025

An Auckland man who attempted to fraudulently claim more than $2 million through various Covid-19 government support schemes has today been sentenced in the Auckland District Court following a prosecution by the Serious Fraud Office (SFO).

17 October 2025

A man who defrauded the COVID-19 Wage Subsidy scheme of more than $125,000 has been sentenced to 2 years and 8 months imprisonment.

13 October 2025

An Auckland man has been sentenced to 5 months and 3 weeks home detention in the Hamilton District Court after making fraudulent Wage Subsidy Scheme applications in the names of two companies under his control, and his own name as a sole trader.

2 October 2025

A man who used the names of 11 different people to make 39 fraudulent COVID-19 Wage Subsidy applications has been sentenced to 3 years and 3 months imprisonment.

30 September 2025

A Christchurch man has been sentenced to 2 years and 7 months imprisonment in the Christchurch District Court after making fraudulent Covid-19 Wage Subsidy applications using his own name and several stolen identities. He was also sentenced on other dishonesty charges. 

24 September 2025

A man who made 34 fraudulent COVID-19 Wage Subsidy applications has been sentenced to one year home detention.

9 September 2025

A 39 year old Auckland man has been sentenced to 6 months community detention, 12 months supervision, and 100 hours community work in the Manukau District Court after fraudulently making Wage Subsidy Scheme applications using his own de-registered company and the details of other registered businesses, without their consent.

7 August 2025

An Auckland man was jailed today for more than $1.7m in fraud related to COVID-19 relief schemes.

4 July 2025

An Auckland man has been sentenced to two years imprisonment in the Auckland District Court after dishonestly receiving more than $35,000 in COVID-19 wage subsidy payments by using a number of pseudonyms, fake addresses and a non- trading company.

26 June 2025

A woman who received almost $60,000 in the COVID-19 Wage Subsidy Scheme changed banks and made another five applications while under investigation.

29 May 2025

A business administrator has been sentenced to nine months home detention for defrauding the COVID-19 Wage Subsidy scheme.

15 May 2025

A woman who made nine fraudulent claims under the COVID-19 Wage Subsidy scheme and received over $13,000 has been sentenced to home detention.

15 May 2025

A man who used two business names to make 18 fraudulent COVID-19 Wage Subsidy scheme applications has been sentenced to eight months home detention.

24 April 2025

A man who used fraudulent details in COVID Wage Subsidy applications has been sentenced to home detention.

18 March 2025

A man who made 24 fraudulent COVID-19 Wage Subsidy claims and received almost $36,000 has been jailed for 21 months.

20 February 2025

A woman who set up and used two companies, classified as canned pet food and business hair product industries, to defraud the COVID-19 Wage Subsidy scheme has been sentenced to home detention.

24 January 2025

A man who received more than $28,000 of COVID-19 Wage Subsidy payments he was not entitled to has been sentenced to 10 months home detention.

21 January 2025

Updated 25 January 2025 - Lower Hutt man Hayden James who made more than a dozen dishonest wage subsidy claims, has been sentenced to four months community detention and 12 months’ supervision.

7 January 2025

A woman made large cash withdrawals from her bank account immediately after receiving two fraudulent COVID-19 Wage Subsidy payouts.