Student arrested for spending $4.6m that doesn't belong to her
- 8 years ago
SYDNEY — Malaysia national Christine Jiaxin Lee, 21, has been arrested for spending millions of Australian dollars that were mistakenly given to her by her bank in Australia four years ago.
Lee, a chemical engineering student in Sydney, was only 17 when the Westpac Bank accidently gave her an overdraft limit amounting to A$4.6 million.
She kept the mistake to herself and spent A$3.3 million on handbags and other luxury items, as well as making cash transfers, in less than a year. She also rented a penthouse apartment with Sydney Harbour Bridge views in Rhodes, for A$3120 a month.
Lee planned her exit strategy when police tried to contact her about the money. She somehow obtained an emergency Malaysian passport in order to allegedly sneak out of the country.
However, Lee was arrested just before boarding her flight to Malaysia at Sydney Airport on Wednesday night on the charges of dishonestly obtaining financial advantage by deception and knowingly dealing with the proceeds of crime.
Magistrate Lisa Stapleton granted Lee bail on Thursday and said Lee was not involved in the proceeds of crime, but "it's money we all dream of", adding that Lee may not have actually broken the law.
Lee had to surrender her passport and now has to live with her boyfriend, who claimed that he had no knowledge of the money Lee had spent.
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Lee, a chemical engineering student in Sydney, was only 17 when the Westpac Bank accidently gave her an overdraft limit amounting to A$4.6 million.
She kept the mistake to herself and spent A$3.3 million on handbags and other luxury items, as well as making cash transfers, in less than a year. She also rented a penthouse apartment with Sydney Harbour Bridge views in Rhodes, for A$3120 a month.
Lee planned her exit strategy when police tried to contact her about the money. She somehow obtained an emergency Malaysian passport in order to allegedly sneak out of the country.
However, Lee was arrested just before boarding her flight to Malaysia at Sydney Airport on Wednesday night on the charges of dishonestly obtaining financial advantage by deception and knowingly dealing with the proceeds of crime.
Magistrate Lisa Stapleton granted Lee bail on Thursday and said Lee was not involved in the proceeds of crime, but "it's money we all dream of", adding that Lee may not have actually broken the law.
Lee had to surrender her passport and now has to live with her boyfriend, who claimed that he had no knowledge of the money Lee had spent.
-------------------------------------------------------------
Welcome to TomoNews, where we animate the most entertaining news on the internets. Come here for an animated look at viral headlines, US news, celebrity gossip, salacious scandals, dumb criminals and much more! Subscribe now for daily news animations that will knock your socks off.
Visit our official website for all the latest, uncensored videos: http://us.tomonews.net
Check out our Android app: http://bit.ly/1rddhCj
Check out our iOS app: http://bit.ly/1gO3z1f
Get top stories delivered to your inbox everyday: http://bit.ly/tomo-newsletter
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