Trapped in harsh COVID-19 lockdowns, a fracturing long-term relationship and deteriorating mental health, Paul Quill needed to feel a semblance of control.
So he took his work credit card and splurged on art, jewellery, designer clothes and furniture costing almost $3 million before falsely claiming them as work expenses.
The elaborate ruse to defraud his employer, global accounting firm Deloitte, has now landed the former director in prison.
As he stood in Melbourne’s County Court dock on today crying and his head bowed, Judge Samantha Marks admonished Quill for his “serious and sustained” offending and jailed him for three years and six months with a non-parole period of two years and two months.
“You were not just an employee, you were a director and one level away from partner,” she said.
“You exploited that trust.”
Quill, 46, had pleaded guilty to two counts of obtaining a financial advantage by deception after swindling more than $2.7 million across 368 fraudulent expense claims from Deloitte between August 2018 and February 2022.
He attempted to hide his thievery by manipulating real invoices from and masking claims as stationery, postage, filing fees and photocopying before fabricating emails approving the claims.
Quill’s expenses were less than $10,000 a month before his offending in 2018, but that skyrocketed to more than $200,000 a month by January and February 2022.
The qualified accountant of more than 15 years was only caught after a routine audit of the company’s books found his suspicious claims.
“The offending stopped not because you had a change of heart, but it was because you were found out,” Judge Marks said.
“(It) was not a lapse in judgment.”
Quill grew up in a loving and close-knit family and lived next door to his maternal grandparents, but persistent bullying at school, including homophobic abuse and body image issues would follow him through life.
In 2007, he started a 12-year relationship which the judge described as imbalanced as he would uproot his life and career multiple times and move to support his partner’s career.
The last straw broke when his grandma, whom he was extremely close with since childhood, died in August 2018.
That same month he began offending.
His mental health deteriorated after breaking up with his long-term partner in 2020 and was exacerbated by an increasing workload during the pandemic where he was rarely able to see his friends and stopped eating properly.
“It’s clear from (psychology) reports the breakdown of your relationship caused you to isolate yourself and rely on dysfunctional coping – alcohol, disordered eating, over-exercising and buying,” the judge said.
“(Your offending) stemmed from of lack of emotional support and provided you with a feeling of control during this period.”
Psychology reports tendered to the court described how Quill said his spending splurge was “the only thing in my life that I could control” that would give him brief bursts of pleasure.
“When items came, they did not give you pleasure … and some remained in unopened boxes,” Judge Marks said.
She referred to glowing references from family and friends who described Quill’s actions as uncharacteristic and his extreme remorse.
The judge accepted prison time would be onerous on the 46-year-old due to his mental health, and being away from his family and beloved dog, But she had no doubt he would be able to get through it.
Quill was supported in court by family who had flown from Brisbane, including his mother and two sisters, who burst into tears as the sentence was handed down.
Deloitte has recovered almost $1 million from the sale of items with about $225,000 worth of goods still to be sold.
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