$10 Million Bank Error Puts ‘Runaway Millionaire’ on Trial
A 33-year-old woman has made a not guilty plea Tuesday in Rotorua District Court against accusations that she deliberately spent her partner's money after his bank account received $10 million in error.
Kara Mary-Jo Hurring, 33, faces charges involving 25 counts of theft, three counts of attempting to dishonestly use a document and two counts of money laundering involving $256500 which was allegedly spent in Auckland, Macau and Hong Kong. She pleaded not guilty in all charges.
Hurring allegedly ran away with her live-in partner Hui, or Leo Gao, also from Rotorua.
Gao, a service station owner, reportedly discovered in April 2009 that his Westpac Bank overdraft account got a deposit of $10 million in late April 2009. He allegedly fled with Hurring to Hong Kong in May 2009.
The court heard the mistake happened after Gao arranged for a $10,000 bank overdraft for his ailing service station business. A clerical error gave his business account $10 million.
The couple had transferred about $6 million to China accounts, while Westpac Bank recovered $2.9 million, and $3.3million is still outstanding, the court further heard.
In his opening address, Crown prosecutor Fletcher Pilditch said Gao came home one night announcing to Hurring that he has become rich. The prosecution then pointed out that the couple had left Rotorua within three days with no proof of intention to return.
Hurring had spent nearly two years hiding in Hong Kong. She was arrested by police when she returned to Auckland in early 2011.
Gao was arrested in September last year, but a trial date for him has not been set. He has been on electronic bail since getting arrested.
A jury trial started Tuesday to hear the case, and it is expected to go on for at least four days. The Crown is expected to call 18 witnesses in the trial.