Lisa Trison’s ‘bewildering’ frauds to fund lavish lifestyle, drugs and gambling

A glamorous mum swindled more than $300,000 from employers in a “bewildering” scheme to fund holidays and handbags as well as her drug and gambling addiction.

Lisa Trison was jailed for six years and two months after pleading guilty to a lengthy list of fraud charges, including obtaining property by deception, theft and using false document to prejudice another.

The 39-year-old mum scammed more than $312,000 between 2018 and 2020 from the Geelong Arts Centre, Advance Records Management and Barwon Timber.

“It is bewildering you would deliberately seek out work in a financial capacity knowing you had just been charged with defrauding another employer,” Judge Patricia Riddell said in sentencing Trison on Wednesday.

Four months into her job at Advance Records Management, Trison was sacked in November 2018 for poor performance such as disorganisation and data entry errors.

The company uncovered irregularities after the clerk left.

“You deliberately sought to create confusion in order to disguise your criminal behaviour,” Judge Riddell said.

Trison scammed just under $98,000 from the company, including from her boss’s personal account.

Despite being charged with that swindle, Trison managed to get another job working as a clerk for Barwon Timber in April 2019. There she fudged a refund request for $2500.

To help get jobs in financial roles, Trison used other people’s police checks and changed the name on the documenxjmtzywt to disguise her lengthy criminal history, the court was told.

The mum was able to nab a job as a bookkeeper at the Geelong Arts Centre where over nine months she defrauded the organisation of more than $200,000. She was caught out after media reporting and was again sacked in March 2020.

Court Walk Pic (Lisa Trison)
Trison must spend at least four years and six months behind bars before she is eligible for parole. Credit: News Corp Australia

The crimes were “deliberate, premeditated and repetitive,” Judge Riddell said.

It was revealed in court that Trison had a lengthy criminal history, including similar offences of fraud and dishonesty.

The cash went into accounts she controlled and was spent on holidays, skydiving, handbags and clothing.

It also went to fund her serious gambling and drug addiction, but this could not excuse such dishonesty, the judge said.

Trison will be eligible for parole after serving four years and six months behind bars. She has already spent 417 days in custody.