Man Appears in Court on 121 MSD Fraud and Benefit Charges

A man appearing in the Ministry of Social Development (MSD) fraud case made his first appearance at the Auckland District Court on Monday, facing 121 charges including obtaining by deception, using forged documents, demanding fees to procure benefits, and using documents for pecuniary advantage.

Counsel for the defendant, Jolene Reddy, applied for interim name-suppression citing undue hardship to the man and his elderly overseas parents, and noted that the defendant also had mental-health issues. The Court granted suppression for 28 days.