Thief gambles away $64k raised for alleged murder victim's family
A gambling addict has been sentenced to 400 hours unpaid community service after admitting to stealing $64,000 from a GoFundMe page intended for a grieving family.
Lachlan Morganti, 26, was sentenced on Tuesday after pleading guilty to a single charge of theft, as magistrate Michelle Mykytowycz sentenced him to a two-year community corrections order and 400 hours of unpaid work.
The court was told that Morganti set up the fundraising page on behalf of the family of allegedly murdered woman Hannah McGuire, who died on April 5th this year.
He had become acquainted with the family, who managed The National Hotel in Clunes, through their support of the Clunes Cricket Club where he played.
“Hannah was known by many as a bright young woman and had a heart of gold,” the fundraiser read.
“All proceeds will go towards funeral costs and other expenses the family may need during this tough time.”
In just a few days, the GoFundMe page raised more than $64,000 in generous donations from the community.
The funds dropped in Morganti’s bank account on April 24th, but he almost immediately began to gamble with it, losing the full amount in four to five days.
After his arrest, Morganti told police he had an “uncontrollable” gambling addiction and internally justified it by believing he would only use a small portion to fix his mounting gambling debts.
“I accept the act of creating the GoFundMe was meant as an altruistic act, that it was intended as a selfless act to benefit the grieving McGuire family,” Ms Mykytowycz said.
“However, the temptation to use this money to recover previous debts became overwhelming and self-indulgent.”
In a statement to the court, Hannah's mother Debbie McGuire said it was important to note no one from their family had asked for support or for Morganti to start the GoFundMe, adding that Morganti had the “audacity” to attend Hannah’s funeral among many of those whose contributions he had stolen.
“Not only did the accused violate our trust, but he had a complete disregard of the trust and generosity of an entire community,” she said.
Image credits: GoFundMe / news.com.au