A business executive who ripped off millions from financial giant Deloitte to blow it on artwork and high-living wants less time in jail to spend more time with his dog.
Paul Quill, 45, pleaded guilty in the County Court of Victoria on Thursday to stealing more than $2.78million from the auditing company during the Covid-19 lockdowns.
The court heard Quill was just one level off being a partner when he used his corporate credit card to make thousands of illegal expense claims.
He did so while on a salary that saw him earn $666,682 between July 2017 and February 2022, not including $91,000 in bonuses.
The court heard while Quill had claimed $3.24 million over that period, he was only charged in relation to $2.78 million of that.
Deloitte was able to claw back the lion’s share of that amount after the Federal Court ordered Quill to repay $3.1 million in a separate civil action in 2022.
The court heard Quill had been paid expenses worth more than $275,000 a month while earning just $14,000 a month.
Many of the extraordinary claims had been passed off as money he claimed to be owed for ‘stationary, postage, photocopying and court fees’.
Paul Quill, 45, pleaded guilty in the County Court of Victoria on Thursday to stealing more than $2.78million from the global auditing company during Victoria’s world beating Covid-19 lockdowns
Quill blew his stolen fortune on works of art, jewellery, designer furniture and fancy clothes.
Such was his extravagance, many of the works of art he purchased remained unopened and kept in storage.
Quill had been brought in to help Joe Gutnick’s failed mining group when he stole $682,587.22 from Merlin Diamonds to fund his enormous contemporary art collection, which included works by Archibald prize winners.
Other victims included Linton & Kay Galleries to the tune of $134,000, spa bath company 15 Degrees By Design, and designer jewellery dealer Camilla Gough, which was hit by a $786,000 bill.
Sydney-based commercial art galley Sullivan+Strumpf faced a $637,000 expense bill for fake ‘search and filing fees’ and other invented claims.
Quill also bought goods at a London art gallery, a designer watch outlet, a kitchen supply business and high-priced clothing shops including Louis Vuitton and Yves Saint Laurent.
The court heard the thief only came clean about his crime spree when a routine audit of the company’s own books caught wind of Quill’s outrageous expense claims.
While Deloitte pursued Quill with a civil claim, Victorian detectives waited for the proceedings to conclude before charging him in January last year.
Deloitte did not provide a victim impact statement
The court heard Deloitte declined to provide the court with a victim impact statement despite the obvious consequences to its business by Quill’s offending.
Quill faces ten years in jail each on the two counts of obtaining financial advantage by deception that he admitted.
But Quill believes his ja. l time should be mitigated because he’ll miss his dog.
Top Melbourne barrister Philip Dunn KC told the court his client would also do harder time because he was homosexual and suffered from self-image issues.
He told the court doctors had assessed Quill as suffering from a mental illness, which under Victorian law entitled him to a discount on any jail sentence.
‘It’s madness. It’s just mad behaviour,’ Mr Dunn said.
‘It’s deranged behaviour we would say … it’s a tragedy. This is a wasted life.
‘This is a man who qualified himself to be either a lawyer or an accountant and he’s become a hoarding magpie for psychological reasons.’
Mr Dunn described Quill’s offending as a ‘sugar hit’.
Philip Dunn KC (left) is representing Paul Quill at the COunty Court of Victoria
‘There is no case quite like this and it creates its own sentencing problems,’ he said.
In pleading for leniency, Mr Dunn claimed Quill had once threatened to kill himself if he was separated from his dog.
‘In 2020, he’s got the dog. He loves his dog,’ Mr Dunn told the court.
‘I know that might sound silly, but that dog, which he acquired when he was in a relationship was the one constant living being in his life.
‘I’m instructed he would have committed suicide over and over again if he didn’t have the dog.’
It was an argument supported by forensic psychiatrist Doctor Andrew Carroll.
‘I think it’s more likely than not that prison will have an adverse effect on his mental health and I say that for a number of reasons,’ he said.
‘He’ll be estranged from his family and from his pet dog, which is an important source of emotional support for him.’
Judge Samantha Marks allowed Quill to enjoy a final piece of freedom while contemplating his sentence, which will be handed down on April 15.
