Former paralegal Athena Razos had her final hearing ahead of her sentencing next month for charges of obtaining property and financial advantage by deception.
According to the Herald Sun, Razos who stole more than $1.5m from her employer was “robbing Peter to pay Paul”, the County Court heard.
Between 2013 and 2017, the 59-year-old pilfered money from her then employer to fund the construction of a new house in Box Hill South on land she had previously purchased for $1m.
She appeared in court from remand for a final plea hearing having previously pleaded guilty to her charges.
Razos’ former employer discovered the embezzlement in August 2017, sacking her in October that year.
In 2020 she was permanently disqualified from being a paralegal at a VCAT hearing.
In the hour-long hearing, it was reported that she appeared mostly stone faced, occasionally bowing her head during submissions by both sides.
Much of the submissions were related to Razos’ mental health before, during and after her offence.
It was noted that she had paid back more than $1m before she was charged with the offending.
The court was told that Razos had a depressive disorder by forensic psychologist Patrick Newton, but due to lack of prior medical records, the severity could not be confirmed.
He explained that her ability to make clear and rational decisions was impacted by her depressive disorder. However, he added that Razos could appreciate the wrongfulness of her actions at the time of the offending.
The prosecutor said that Razos was “robbing Peter to pay Paul”.
“There is evidence (in a report) that on 21 occasions she moved funds from one trust ledger to another (in order to) cover up her offending,” the crown prosecutor said.
They added that she was living beyond her means during her offending and that a high level of planning went into her actions and claimed Razos has guarded prospects of rehabilitation.
Razos’ defence lawyer Dr Gideon Boas emphasised her efforts to repay the stolen money, her work on improving her mental health, and the delay in sentencing in his submissions.
She is to be sentenced mid-late July.
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